Tag: Jharkhand-polls

“Corruption in 5 Years of BJP Govt in Jharkhand is an Issue,” says JMM president Hemant Soren.

Source – economictimes.indiatimes.com

What is the feedback that you have got from the ground after the first round of voting?
We are doing very well. In fact, you can ask BJP if they can name four seats which they are sure of winning in the first phase. On our part, we are confident and stronger on every seat. Wait for the results.

Would dilution of Article 370 and Ayodhya issue have an impact on Jharkhand polls? How important are national issues in this election?
BJP leaders are talking about Kashmir in Jharkhand. My question is: If you talk about Kashmir in Jharkhand, where would we talk about the unemployment, lower industrial growth and corruption in Jharkhand. People have given their mandate on national issues in Lok Sabha elections. Now, this is about Jharkhand, and 370 or Ayodhya is not an issue here.

What are the issues in the state?
The issue is rampant corruption in five years of BJP government. Right from Lokpal to development commissioner to other senior government officials, they all have flagged corruption and scam in the current government. The issue is slowdown in industrial areas which has resulted in major job losses. The issue is how this government is trying to grab the lands of tribals in the state.

Your party has a limitation in that it has influence in only certain parts of the state and the BJP has made inroads into the tribal segment as well…
We are going to surprise you with our performance this time, be it urban or rural region. We are getting support from all corners of the state. BJP is plotting with independent candidates in each constituency to divide votes. But voters this time are determined to topple the BJP government.

Despite being in alliance, the Congress and JMM came up with separate manifestos…
Every party has a right to bring out its manifesto. But when it comes to government formation, we will work out a common minimum programme.

Your party has extended support to rebel BJP leader Saryu Roy while Congress has put up a candidate against him…
In the alliance the seat has gone to the Congress and I can’t force them to leave the seat. My support to Roy is on moral grounds. He is not fighting against the CM but against corruption. At the same
time I am part of the grand alliance and am campaigning for alliance candidates across the state.

Why is Babulal Marandi not part of the alliance?
The state has only 81seats and every party has its specific requirement. We tried hard to convince him. However, he has the right to decide about his party and seats he would contest.

BJP needs to introspect in Jharkhand, says party spokesman Praveen Prabhakar before resigning.

Source – indiatoday.in

In a jolt to the BJP in Jharkhand where polls are underway, its principal spokesman and a leading light of the statehood demand, Praveen Prabhakar, on Sunday resigned from the party. He will now contest the Assembly elections from Nala on a National Peoples’ Party (NPP) ticket.

Associated with the BJP for the past five years, Prabhakar had been among the founding members of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), which fought the 2014 Assembly election in alliance with the BJP but is contesting separately this time. He was said to be unhappy with the ticket distribution in the state by the party.

Prabhakar told IANS that he had learnt a lot from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief and Home Minister Amit Shah but in Jharkhand, the BJP needed to do some introspection.

He joined the National Peoples’ Party (NPP), headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, at its national convention at the Constitution Club in Ranchi on Sunday, and was named its candidate from Nala, which will go to polls in the last of the five phases on December 20.

Shillong MP and former Union Minister Agatha Sangma, Meghalaya Home Minister James Sangma and NPP’s Jharkand chief Raj Kumar Poddar were also present at the programme.

The NPP was recently recognised as a national political party by the Election Commission, making it one of the eight to enjoy this status.

Speaking on the occasion, Conrad Sangma recalled his father and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma had set up the party in 2013 and his dream was that it not remained confined to the northeast but spread to other states across India as a national party to help the deprived.

Hailing Prabhakar’s joining his party, Sangma said that he would help the NPP increase its footprint in Jharkhand and other states and thus “all would together help achieve the late Sangma’s dream”.

Prabhakar said that he does not have any personal grievance with the BJP but it needs to do some soul-searching in his state. Extolling the leadership of Modi and Amit Shah, he said that under them, “the nation was progressing on all fronts, but in Jharkhand, the aspirations of the people were being constantly snuffed. I dedicated all I had for the creation of Jharkhand (as a separate state) and will continue to fight all my life for its development. I have full faith that I will get the assistance and guidance of NPP leaders in this endeavour…”.

Despite Being Politically Powerful & Affluent, How a Backward Community in Jharkhand Figured on Poll Planks.

Source – news18.com

Patna/Ranchi: Ahead of the crucial five-phase Jharkhand assembly elections, all the major political parties and combinations made last-minute promises to garner the votes of the other backward castes (OBCs), especially the Kudmi-Mahato caste, and the Scheduled Tribes.

The Congress promised in its manifesto 27% reservation for the OBCs from the existing 14%, jobs to at least one person per household and a separate Sarna code (religious code) for the tribal population of Jharkhand if voted to power.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah at one of its election rallies also announced to form a commission for reservation to the backward caste youth and dole out jobs to them. Shah said that the BJP government would provide an opportunity to the OBCs, which have been neglected during 70 years of Congress rule in the country.

Simultaneously, the main opposition Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led by Sibu Soren has pledged to provide 67% reservation to OBCs, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes besides government jobs to the local people if it came to power in the state. The JMM also promised an allowance of Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000 per month to unemployed graduates and post-graduates besides reserving 75% jobs in the private sector for the local youth.

The Congress strategy in promising increase in reservation for the OBCs appears to be an attempt to snatch the OBC quota plank from the BJP and its disgruntled ally — the All Jharkhand Student Union (AJSU) Party, which has been championing the demand of the Kudmi-Mahato caste for its inclusion in the list of the Scheduled Tribes. The Kudmi-Mahatos constitute around 25 per cent of the total population of Jharkhand.

The higher OBC quota politics is also an attempt to blunt the demand of inclusion of the Kudmi-Mahato in the Scheduled Tribe list as it would require an amendment in Parliament. This attempt, at the same time, has the risk of alienating the substantial tribal population in Jharkhand.

But the offer will certainly have its bearing in the Chotanagpur region, which has substantial population of the Kudmi-Mahato caste. The Congress and others hope to rope in the support of the politically powerful and financially affluent Kudmi-Mahato caste.

The AJSU led by Sudesh Mahato had laboured under the BJP and been rendered redundant under the saffron shadow. But this time, it is trying to firm up its roots by deciding to field candidates against its BJP from 27 assembly seats and hopes to reap dividends from its core vote bank of the Kudmi-Mahato caste. In the 2014 polls, the BJP had won 37 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly and it crossed the majority mark only with the help of five seats won by AJSU.

The Kudmi-Mahato caste of Jharkhand is ethnically and culturally different from the Kurmi caste of Bihar. They observe totems and taboos akin to Munda, Ho, Kharia, Oraon and Santhals. A central government notification of 1913 and notification of the then Bihar-Orissa government of 1931 suggest that Kudmis were part of the Scheduled Tribes. In the 1931 census, the Kudmis of Chotanagpur were included in the list of primitive tribes and it was a part of ST till September 5, 1950. The reason behind the omission of the caste from the list is not yet known.

Scholars like Dr Ram Dayal Munda, Dr Nirmal Minz, N E Horo, Sanjay Basu Mallick and Santosh Rana have observed that Kudmis of Jharkhand should be accorded the status of STs.

At the Adivasi Kudmi Convention held at Purulia on December 27, 1988, N E Horo in a written message stated that Kudmi community should be included into the ST list since they belonged to the ethnic group and remained part of it till 1931.

JMM patriarch Sibu Soren favoured inclusion of the Kudmi-Mahato into the list of Scheduled Tribes observing that they were a sub-caste of Santhals and branched out of the same clan. The then AICC general secretary Ram Ratan Ram had opined that the Kudmi-Mahatos were the tribesmen and promised to raise the issue with the then Prime Minister.

The Totemic Kudmi tribes are highly concentrated in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Santhal Pargana and Chotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Bonai in Orrisa and Purillia, Bankura and Midnapore, Burdan, Malda, Murshidabad and West Dinajpur in West Bengal. They have been traditionally settled in a well-defined territory bounded by four rivers Damodar, Kanshabati, Subarnarekha and Baitarni, which has been a part of lower Jharkhand.

The BJP is tactically playing safe on this issue although the then BJP government led by chief minister Arjun Munda had recommended to the Centre to provide tribal status to the Kudmi-Mahatos and Ghatwars in 2004.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) too is in support of the demand and supported increase in the OBC quota and inclusion of Kudmi-Mahato in the ST list.

Jharkhand will vote in five phases, with the first one on November 30 and the last on December 20. Results will be declared on December 23.

Jharkhand polls: Apex trade body fields candidate from Ranchi.

Source – newindianexpress.com

RANCHI: Amidst political ripples, former Federation of Jharkhand Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) president Pawan Sharma filed his nomination from the Ranchi Assembly seat on Monday.

Though FJCCI officials denied any role in Sharma’s candidature, the decision was said to be taken during a state-level meeting of the apex trade body on Monday to field its candidate from Ranchi and Godda to give a befitting reply to the state government’s alleged apathy towards its cause.

The FJCCI had put up at least eight hoardings in Ranchi in August this year with a slogan ‘Vyaparion Ki Marmik Pukar, Ab To Sudh Lo Sarkar’ to highlight their plight, which they claimed was due to government’s apathy and polices. 

Sharma was accompanied by hundreds of traders, including several former FJCCI presidents and working committee members while filing his nomination. 

In a press release, the FJCCI said it is entitled to field candidates in elections as it is not a registered political party.

Sharma, however, claimed to have the support of traders along with the common man of Ranchi. 

“Looking at state government’s apathy towards the common people, I had to take this decision and have the full support of the business community as well as the common people of Ranchi,” said Sharma. 

Gaushalas, film city & end to ‘Inspector Raj’ — Congress manifesto for Jharkhand polls.

Source – theprint.in

New Delhi: The Congress has launched its bid to win over the electorate of Jharkhand with a series of sops and concessions for all sections of society in its manifesto, released Sunday.

From promising a film city in the state to promote local cinema, to assuring the upkeep of gaushalas (cow shelters) and setting up a Gauchar Development Board, tribal rights and land rights, the party has tried to tailor its approach to Jharkhand’s myriad communities. The manifesto also promises farm loan waivers, pensions, women empowerment, and swift action against instances of mob violence.

Jharkhand’s 81 constituencies will vote in five phases, starting from 30 November. The Congress had won just six seats in the state in 2014. This time, the party is contesting on 31 seats, and along with its ally the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, has focused on the plank of social justice. It has fielded its spokesperson Gourav Vallabh against incumbent chief minister Raghubar Das of the BJP from Jamshedpur East.

Loan waivers and cows

The Congress has promised to waive farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh, and says it will release a separate farmers’ budget. It will also subsidise electricity and fix a minimum support price for crops like paddy to ease the burden on the farmers.

Congress will also “provide adequate budget for the upkeep of gaushalas. It will be ensured that all gaushalas are equipped with necessary sheds, veterinary services, water, and fodder,” the manifesto states, adding the promise of a Gauchar Development Board.

The party has also promised clean drinking water through pipes and taps to every household, which has been another crucial concern in Jharkhand, since Jamshedpur is one of the few cities to have this facility.

It is also promising free education in public schools, as well as a 50 per cent fee waiver for every family earning less than Rs 10,000 a month.

“The school curriculum will be reviewed and changes made wherever necessary. The school curriculum will reflect the constitutional values and will also highlight the rich cultural, social, and political history of Jharkhand,” reads the manifesto.

Tribals and land rights

To promote tribal arts and culture, the Congress promises to sponsor artists and set up a tribal art and culture centre. A film city has also been proposed to promote local cinema.

The Congress also proposes to recognise Sarna as a separate religion before the 2021 census.

“We will propose to the central government to provide a separate code in the census for the Sarna community. Majority of the tribals are neither Hindus, nor Muslims, nor Christians. They have a different system of worship and have been demanding a separate code. We will make all efforts to ensure Sarna is recognised as a separate religious code before 2021 census,” the manifesto states.

Rehabilitation of victims of mob violence and a legislation to curb it are also on the party’s agenda.

“We will enact a legislation to provide for strict punishment in the cases of deaths due to mob violence on the basis of caste, gender, and religion. The victims and the families of mob-lynching will be rehabilitated at the earliest,” it states.

The Congress has also promised to repeal the amendments made to the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and implement the act “as per its original purposes”.

‘Inspector Raj’

The manifesto also states that the Congress is “committed to providing an atmosphere where businesses can thrive”.

“Red tapism and other inefficiencies will be abolished. We will end the Inspector Raj,” it states

Development works initiated under Modi’s leadership will help BJP win Jharkhand polls: Gadkari.

Source – indiatoday.in

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said massive development works initiated under the leadership of Narendra Modi at the Centre and by Raghubar Das-led government in the state will help the BJP return to power with a thumping majority in Jharkhand.

Gadkari — who holds portfolios like road transport, shipping and MSME in the Modi government — in an interview to PTI after an election campaign at Palamu said that the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is fighting this assembly poll on themes like development works and job opportunities created in the state.

The senior BJP leader said that massive development works in the state created enormous job opportunities, including self-employment, for 34 lakh people in the last four years. Opportunities have also been created in form government jobs for one lakh youth, of which 95 per cent are locals, the minister said.

Further, a recruitment process has already been initiated for another 50,000 government jobs, he claimed.

Gadkari said that people of Jharkhand have been benefitted from several schemes initiated by the Modi-led government at the Centre and Raghubar Das in the state.

The efforts by the Centre and the state will reflect in ensuing assembly elections results, the senior leader said.

After the division of Bihar into two states, the BJP got opportunities to serve the people of the state, he said adding that Jharkhand is progressing fast on its way to development and the poor are getting benefitted from government schemes.

On being asked if the BJP was too ambitious in terms of its seats target in Jharkhand polls, particularly when it has not performed as per its own expectations in recently held Haryana and Maharashtra elections, Gadkari said his party will get a comfortable majority and form a stable government under Raghubar Das.

Das, earlier in an interview to PTI, had expressed confidence that the BJP will win 65 seats out of 81 in the forthcoming elections.

In the 2014 state polls, the BJP had 42 seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP and its allies won 12 of the 14 seats.

On Das’ Cabinet minister Saryu Rai being denied ticket, Gadkari said the decision was taken by the party and its parliamentary board which should be accepted as the idea was to give newcomers a chance.

He further said that such things happen in politics, but ultimately workers work for the organisation and the party.

On the debate going on with regard to having a tribal or a non-tribal chief minister in the state, Gadkari said Arjun Munda from the state was already representing tribals at the Centre and the state has been led by Das.

“The idea is ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’ where there is no discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, sex or religion, and efforts are being made to benefit the poor,” he said.

Jharkhand is the first state in the country where on purchase of land or house up to Rs 50 lakh by women, the registry is done at ‘rupee one’, he said, adding that so far more than 1.2 lakh women have been benefitted from the scheme.

Likewise, Jharkhand is the only state where gas stove is given free with gas cylinder under Ujjwala Yojana, he said.

Jharkhand Assembly elections will be held in five phases between November 30 and December 20, and the counting of votes will take place on December 23.

Presently, the BJP is in power in the state, which has a large tribal population. An alliance of opposition parties, mainly the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, is making a determined bid to oust the BJP government.

Raghubar Das is the first state chief minister to have completed the full term of five years in the state.

The saffron party has asserted that it has provided a stable, clean and development-oriented government in Jharkhand, with the opposition claiming that the state’s progress has stalled under its rule.

Ranchi diary: MS Dhoni opens practice pitches at home ground.

source – newindianexpress.com

Former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently inaugurated 11 newly-laid practice pitches at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Stadium in Ranchi, his home ground. The pitches would enable up and coming cricketers from the state to hone their skills. After the inauguration event, Dhoni was seen having a hit along with local players. Dhoni had advised the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) to prepare different kinds of pitches so that the players have adequate exposure playing on different kinds of surfaces.

EC to roll out booth app for Assembly polls

To ensure transparency, clarity and convenience in the voting process, the Election Commission (EC) will, for the first time in its history of conducting elections in the country, introduce the booth application for the Jharkhand Assembly elections. The app, to be used in 15 Assembly constituencies, would enable voters to avail timely information on when is the right or convenient time to cast their votes in their designated booths. By giving them all necessary information, the app will not only help voters reach their booths on time but will also save the poll panel the hassle of having to reach out to them in a bid to draw them to the polling stations. The first phase of the Jharkhand polls is due on November 30.

26-yr-old rapper a rage on YouTube

‘Mera Shehar Ranchi’, a rap song on the capital city, has unleashed a storm on social media, especially YouTube. The catchy lyrics and peppy beats of the number, written, composed and performed by 26-year-old Dhanbad youth Sourav Suman, have already found favour with thousands of Ranchi natives settled across the globe. Dedicated to the city, the song touches on everything that the city is known for or has to offer to visitors. In just three weeks since being released, the rap number has garnered around 3.67 lakh views and 32,000 likes on YouTube.

New chief justice takes oath

Justice Ravi Ranjan, the new chief justice of Jharkhand High Court, was administered the oath of office by Governor Draupadi Murmu at Raj Bhavan on Sunday. The post had been lying vacant for several months after his predecessor Justice Aniruddha Bose was elevated to the Supreme Court earlier this year. Chief Minister Raghubar Das, top judges and advocates of the high court, as well as senior government officials, were among the dignitaries attending the swearing-in event. The 13th chief justice of the Jharkhand high court, Ranjan was formerly a judge in Punjab and Haryana High Court.

At Least Dozen MPs, MLAs in Touch With Me’: Ahead of Jharkhand Polls, Hemant Soren Calls BJP ‘Sinking Ship.

Source – news18.com

Former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren is quite upbeat about the upcoming elections in Jharkhand. With just 11 days to go for polling day, Soren has claimed that at least one dozen MPs and MLAs from BJP are looking to jump ship and are in touch with him.

In an interview with News18, Soren spoke about whether the Supreme Court’s recent verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute will have any impact on the assembly polls, how talks with alliance partners are coming along, the effect of a five-phased election and veracity of claims that BJP is likely to collapse in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is soon expected to address rallies in Palamu, other national stalwarts of the party will also address the people of Jharkhand in campaign rallies where among other things, the Supreme Court’s recent Ayodhya verdict could be a talking point, does this worry you?

There is a place to talk about national issues. It is called Lok Sabha. That’s where people have given the BJP majority so that it can effectively deal with national issues. The upcoming elections are for the state of Jharkhand. If we also talk about national issues in these polls, then where will we talk about the issues of Jharkhand? In the campaign of Jammu and Kashmir or Gujarat?

Here people are dying of hunger, youths don’t have jobs, people don’t have money, banks are collapsing, infrastructure is nowhere. In all major indices, from hunger to education, Jharkhand has slipped under BJP Chief Minister Raghubar Das’ tenure. Since the state of Jharkhand was created, the last five years have been the worst, by far.

But you also raised these issues of hunger-related deaths, of forest rights etc, in Lok Sabha polls and they did not seem to have found any resonance with people.

It’s not as if these issues did not find any resonance with people. Look at the results of the five reserved Lok Sabha seats. BJP managed to just scrape through.

Why is your alliance (with Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal) dithering on the issue of declaring you as the CM face?

There is no confusion. Congress leader RPN Singh has clearly stated that Hemant Soren will be the CM face of the alliance. There is no confusion now. On the other hand you should ask the same question to BJP. Till very recently they used to say that Raghubar Das was their CM face. Why aren’t they saying this now? Why are they suddenly quiet on the issue? Ask them to clarify who their CM face is. BJP is a sinking ship.

Do you consider recent developments like their senior leader Sarayu Rai’s quitting the party, and their alliance partner AAJSU’s breaking ranks with BJP, as indicators?

It isn’t just that. You look anywhere and you’ll find that BJP’s Jharkhand unit is in a state of collapse. There is rampant infighting within BJP and open tussle with BJP’s alliance partners. Why are AAJSU, JD(U), LJP fighting these polls individually? There is pandemonium in BJP’s ranks. It is clear that they cannot carry alliance partners with them. And because of the arrogance of their top leadership, their old hands, who feel slighted, are trying to find a way out.

Are any of them in touch with you?

At least one dozen BJP MPs and MLAs have contacted me. They want to switch over. They know BJP is a sinking ship. Public sentiment is palpably against them.

How do you look at the decision by the Election Commission to conduct the polls over five phases?

For someone like us, a state political outfit, it is a huge challenge. For someone like the BJP, it wouldn’t matter much. They have unlimited resources and cadre which they shift wherever they want, however many times they want. Our worker cannot leave everything else and only do this. In other circumstances, it should have broken the morale of our workers but our morale is quite high. People are quite aggressive. Everyone wants to see the BJP out. There is no tolerance for the present dispensation.

And while as a political outfit we respect the decisions of the EC, to be honest, I don’t understand the logic of having the elections in five phases. The BJP kept talking about ‘double engine ki sarkar’ when they formed governments both at the Centre and the state. They talked about finishing the Naxals and bringing development to the state with double the speed. But now the EC itself has indicated, by conducting elections over five phases, that everything is not fine in the state; that the Naxal menace is far from over. They should admit that.

Almost every party is announcing reservation in poll campaigns these days. You have also announced 75% reservation in private jobs for youths and 50% reservation to women in jobs. Could you explain the logic behind this?

The decision to announce reservation in jobs for women isn’t new. I decided to do it when we were in power in our previous term but the successive BJP government decided against it. In our state women have been working really hard for their families. There are districts where women outnumber men. They are a significant working force. But when we see outside, we find, for similar job profiles, women from Kerala being referred to as ‘nurses’ and those from Jharkhand being referred to as ‘Dai’. It shames me. The same holds true for the youth, which today doesn’t have any jobs. If youths find jobs and get good education they will be able to help improve literacy levels in their districts and raise the employability of those around them as well. This is not about votes. This is about helping the future generations flourish.

Tejashwi Yadav had met you just before seat sharing was announced by you and the Congress. You had announced him as an alliance partner but RJD has reportedly been unhappy with seat distribution. Is RJD still on board?

RJD is very much part of the alliance. We are all working towards finalising our campaigning and soon you will see Tejashwi-jee campaigning with us.

BJP’s slogan this time is ‘Ab ki baar 65 paar’. How do you assess their position. Also have you set a target for the alliance?

Issuing and working in numbers are tropes of the business community. We have been a group of political activists. We don’t speak that language. We only talk about victory or defeat. We think we will win and win big.

Jharkhand polls 2019: Congress leaves Ranchi for JMM to fight BJP.

Source – cnbctv18.com

In the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly polls, the state capital Ranchi seat is going to witness an interesting tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition alliance.

The BJP has been winning this seat for the past 29 years and this time the JMM backed by the Congress wants to wrest the seat away.

The BJP has been winning the seat continuously for the past six elections and this time the Congress has decided not to field its candidate, but to support the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate as part of the opposition alliance.

Although the Congress workers have opposed this, the party leadership decided to support the JMM candidate Mahua Maji. The BJP will continue with its sitting MLA S.P. Singh.

In the last Assembly polls, Singh had defeated JMM candidate Mahua Maji by around 59,000 votes, while the Congress candidate lost his security deposit after getting a mere 7,935 votes.

In fact, out of a total of 17 candidates who had contested the last election, 15 lost their security deposits.

The continuous poor performance on the seat forced the Congress to rework its strategy. And, finally, it decided to support the JMM candidate.

The BJP on the other hand has been winning this seat continuously since the formation of the state in 1990.

In 1995 Yashwant Sinha won this seat, but a year later he moved to Rajya Sabha. BJP fielded S.P. Singh from this seat then, and he has been winning this seat ever since.

A senior journalist from Ranchi, Sampurnanand Bharati said: “Ranchi is one of the prominent seats in the state and so all want to win from Ranchi.

“The Congress has withdrawn here in favour of the JMM. The BJP will be aggressive to retain this seat and there is a renewed vigour in the opposition alliance after putting up their one candidate.”

The elections in Ranchi will be held during the third phase of the Jharkhand polls, for which the notification came on Saturday.

The Ranchi district has five assembly seats — Ranchi, Silli, Kanke, Khijri and Hatia. The candidates can file their nominations till November 25.The Election Commission will do the scrutiny on November 26, and the candidates have the time to withdraw till November 28. The polls to these seats will be held on December 12.