Barhait assembly constituency is particularly noteworthy as Hemant Soren, the incumbent Chief Minister and a member of the JMM, is running from this seat.
The BJP has chosen Gamaliyan Hembrom to oppose Hemant. Earlier, the BJP considered a prominent tribal figure from the Santhal Parganas area, former minister Lois Marandi, for this constituency.
In 2019, Hemant Soren won the seat with 73,725 votes. His nearest rival, Simon Marandi from the BJP, received 47,985 votes, and Hopna Tudu of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) (JVM(P)) secured 2,622 votes.
In the 2014 elections, Soren also won, obtaining 62,515 votes. His closest contender was Hemlal Murmu of the BJP with 38,428 votes, followed by Simon Marandi from JVM(P) with 14,161 votes, and Monica Kisku of the Congress, who received 7,151 votes.