Ahead of the assembly elections in the state, the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Thursday (October 24) released another list of candidates set to contest from the Seraikela and Khunti seats. According to the statement released by the party, it fielded Ganesh Mahli for the Seraikela seat, while Ramsurya Munda has been declared the JMM candidate for the Khunti seat.
Mahali vs. Soren Fight for Seraikela Seat
Significantly, the BJP-JMM contest for the Seraikela seat will be interesting to watch, as BJP candidate Champai Soren (who recently quit JMM and joined BJP) and JMM candidate Ganesh Mahali (who recently quit BJP and joined JMM) are set to give each other a tough fight for victory.
Notably, Ganesh Mahali recently resigned from the BJP after being denied a ticket. He alleged that, despite dedicating 25 years of service to the BJP, he now feels cornered. Taking an indirect dig at Champai Soren, he alleged that recent entrants to the party are now controlling key decisions, which forced him to cut ties with the party.
About the JMM-Congress Alliance
It is pertinent to note that with Thursday's list, the JMM has so far announced its candidates in over 40 constituencies in the state, for a total of 81. The party is in alliance with the Congress, RJD, and Left in the state. The elections will take place in two phases, on November 13 and November 20, with counting scheduled for November 23.
Check the full list of candidates
In the first list of 35 candidates, the ruling party fielded Chief Minister Hemant Soren from the Barhait Assembly constituency while his wife Kalpana Soren from the Gandey seat. Hemant Soren is the sitting MLA from Barhait (ST) constituency in Sahibganj district.
Moreover, the first candidate list also includes the names of MT Raja from Rajmahal seat, Dhananjay Soren from Boriyo, Basant Soren from Dumka, Baidhnath Ram from Latehar, Kedar Hazra from Jamua seat, Hafizul Hasan from Madhupur, and Bebi Devi from Damuri. Further, in its second list, the party included the candidature of Mahua Maji from Ranchi. And on its third list of five candidates released for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls, the party has given a ticket to incumbent MLAs Chamra Linda and Sukhram Oraon from Bishunpur and Chakradharpur seats.
READ MORE | Jharkhand polls: JMM releases third list of candidates, fields MLA Chamra Linda from Bishunpur | FULL LIST
