INDIA bloc's 7 sitting MLAs to contest from Jharkhand, BJP chooses 3

Intriguing dynamics in Jharkhand's political landscape has come to the fore in the wake of the candidate lists that have been finalised by the state's ruling INDIA bloc and its prime opposition, the BJP.

While the INDIA alliance has opted for continuity by nominating seven sitting legislators, the BJP has chosen three MLAs as candidates across the state's 14 Lok Sabha constituencies.

These decisions underscore a combination of factors, including trust in incumbent representatives and a perceived shortage of viable contenders.

Interestingly, two sitting legislators from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) have decided to contest independently, reflecting potential internal discord within the party.

The elections, scheduled to commence on May 13, are poised to witness the participation of 2.56 crore eligible voters in the state.

The ruling alliance, comprising the Congress, JMM, RJD, and CPI-ML(L), has delineated seat-sharing arrangements, with Congress contesting seven seats and JMM five.

The JMM has strategically fielded four of its sitting legislators for parliamentary constituencies, a move attributed to regional parties' reliance on established leaders for electoral success.

Shikaripara MLA Nalin Soren has been nominated for the Dumka Lok Sabha seat, Tundi legislator Mathura Mahto from Giridih, Manoharpur MLA Joba Manjhi from Singhbhum and Baharagora's Samir Kumar Mohanty from Jamshedpur.

JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey told PTI, Several things are involved in the process of selecting a candidate for a particular seat, including feedback of party workers, winnability factor, and opinion of panchayat and block-level committees. After reviewing these factors, candidates were given tickets.

Tulu Sarkar, a political observer and former head of the department of Political Science at Ranchi University, underscored the cautious approach of regional parties, which prefer familiar faces over newcomers in crucial electoral battles.

Regional parties generally bank on their sitting legislators or established leaders. Since parliamentary polls are fought on a larger prospect, such parties do not want to take risks by bringing new faces. So, here in Jharkhand, we see JMM has fielded the maximum number of its sitting legislators for the Lok Sabha polls, he said.

She added that the shortage of suitable candidates is also a major factor among all political parties.

In such a situation, parties do not have a choice but to select a candidate whose winning chance is higher. So, sitting legislators emerge as a better option as they already have a base in their respective areas, Sarkar said.

Despite assertions of a candidate shortage, JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey denied any crisis within the party, emphasising confidence in their candidate selection process.

There is no dearth of candidates in the party, he said.

However, recent developments have added complexity to the political landscape. JMM MLAs Chamra Linda and Lobin Hembrom have announced their candidature as independents, challenging their own party's nominees in select constituencies.

While Linda filed his nomination papers as an independent for Lohardaga, which went to Congress as per a seat-sharing pact, Borio MLA Hembrom will contest from Rajmahal against its own party candidate Vijay Hansdak, who is also the sitting MP.

The Congress has fielded Mandu MLA Jai Prakash Bhai Patel, who recently switched to the grand old party from the BJP, from Hazaribag Lok Sabha seat, while Poreyahat legislator Pradip Yadav will contest from Godda.

Another INDIA bloc partner, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation has reposed faith in Bagodar MLA Vinod Kumar Singh from Koderma.

Conversely, the BJP has fielded its Hazaribag legislator Manish Jaiswal for the Hazaribag parliamentary constituency, Baghmara MLA Dulu Mahto from Dhanbad and Jama legislator Sita Soren from Dumka Lok Sabha seat.

JMM MLA Sita Soren resigned from the party and as a member of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly on March 19 before joining the BJP.

An official of the Jharkhand Assembly told PTI that her resignation has not been accepted yet as it was not in a proper format.

Her resignation was received through the email ID of her daughter. So, the office has written to the Jama legislator to submit her resignation in proper format by attaching a copy of the earlier resignation letter. A reply from her is still awaited, the official said.

BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo told PTI, The party has given tickets to few legislators based on local factors and workers' feedback, considerations which are grossly lacking for counterparts in the INDIA bloc.

He alleged that the ruling alliance was compelled to give tickets to its MLAs, as they found no suitable candidates who would be interested in contesting the polls against the BJP in the state.

Political observers said that the current strength of the Jharkhand assembly is likely to reduce after the Lok Sabha polls as some sitting legislators would go to Parliament. Re-election on the seats, which would go vacant, is unlikely, as the state will go to assembly polls this winter.

The current strength of the 81-member Jharkhand assembly is 80. The Gandey assembly seat fell vacant after the resignation of Sarfaraz Ahmad, who was recently elected to Rajya Sabha unopposed.