Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced that the INDIA alliance will contest the upcoming Jharkhand elections together, with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress set to contest 70 out of the 81 assembly seats.
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], October 19: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced on Saturday that the INDIA alliance will contest the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections together. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress will jointly contest 70 out of the 81 seats in the state assembly.
Soren further mentioned that discussions are ongoing with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties regarding the remaining seats. Congress leader Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Jharkhand, also attended the press conference.
Soren stated, "The INDIA bloc will contest the Jharkhand Assembly polls together. It has been decided that JMM and Congress will contest 70 seats, while the rest will be discussed further."
In the 2019 Assembly elections, JMM, as part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), contested 43 seats, Congress contested 31, and RJD contested seven in the 81-member assembly. The UPA secured a victory by winning 47 seats, while the BJP won 25.
Congress leader and Jharkhand Minister Banna Gupta expressed confidence in the alliance, stating that the INDIA bloc is functioning smoothly and that the people of Jharkhand will support the ruling coalition led by Hemant Soren in the upcoming elections.
"The state president, CLP leader, and INDIA Alliance team have worked together in a systematic manner. There are no doubts or concerns, and we are confident that the people of Jharkhand will once again give the INDIA Alliance government a chance," Gupta said.
The Jharkhand Assembly polls will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20, with votes to be counted on November 23.
In a significant development for the JMM, former BJP MLA from Jamua, Kedar Hajra, and former AJSU vice president and ex-MLA from Chandankyari, Umakant Rajak, have joined the party. Hemant Soren welcomed both leaders into the JMM.
The nomination process has already begun for the first phase of the Jharkhand polls.