Jharkhand polls: AJSU Party to announce candidates tomorrow

Ranchi: AJSU Party today said it would announce tomorrow candidates for the eight seats it would contest following its alliance with BJP for the coming Assembly polls in the state.

It's Parliamentary Board would meet tomorrow to announce names of the candidates, party spokesman Devsharan Bhagat said here.

BJP struck an alliance with the regional party yesterday for the upcoming polls to the 81-member Assembly.  “Jharkhand is going through a phase of political instability, and the alliance between AJSU Party and BJP is an important initiative,” Bhagat said.

“AJSU Party is committed to developing Jharkhand, and alliance with BJP is a constructive step in this regard,” he added.

Set up as All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) to fight for separate statehood, the party has registered itself with the Election Commission as AJSU Party.  BJP in its list of candidates declared on Sunday had not announced names for five seats, which the Jharkhand party had won in the last elections, though it had declared its candidate for Hatia Assembly seat, the 6th AJSU seat. AJSU Party has six MLAs in the outgoing Assembly.  

Among the Assembly seats that BJP has given its new ally are Jugsalai, Chandankyari, Silli, Ramgarh and Lohardaga, currently represented by AJSU Party, along with the Barkagaon seat. The two other seats will be decided by the regional party.

The Assembly elections in Jharkhand will be held in five phases on November 25, December 2, December 9, December 14 and December 20. Counting of votes is scheduled on December 23.