Jharkhand Election 2024 Key Constituencies: Jharkhand’s 38 out of 81 seats are set to go to polls in the second phase of voting on November 20. The results will be out on November 23. Here’s a list of key constituencies that will witness an intense political battle.
Barhait
All eyes are on this constituency as it is being contested by Hemant Soren, the current Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a member of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). He is facing opposition from the BJP, which has fielded Gamaliyan Hembrom. Initially, the BJP had considered former minister Lois Marandi, also a prominent tribal leader from the Santhal Parganas, for this seat. In the 2019 elections, Hemant Soren secured a comfortable victory with 73,725 votes, well ahead of his nearest competitor, Simon Marandi from the BJP, who gathered 47,985 votes. Hopna Tudu of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) (JVM(P)) trailed with just 2,622 votes. Soren had also emerged victorious with 62,515 votes in the 2014 elections. His closest challenger, Hemlal Murmu from the BJP, was able to gather 38,428 votes. Simon Marandi from JVM(P) followed with 14,161 votes, while Monica Kisku of the Congress secured 7,151 votes.
Gandey
This is another constituency where the interest is building up around the key contenders, one of them being Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s wife, Kalpana Soren. She is contesting against BJP’s Muniya Devi. In the 2024 assembly by-election, Kalpana Soren triumphed with 109,827 votes, defeating BJP’s Dilip Verma, who managed to gather 82,678 votes. A total of 4,219 voters opted for the None of the Above (NOTA) option. In the 2019 assembly elections, Sarfaraz Ahmed of JMM won the seat with 65,023 votes. BJP’s Jai Prakash Verma followed with 56,168 votes, while Arjun Baitha from the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) received 15,361 votes. During the 2014 elections, Jai Prakash Verma of the BJP claimed victory with 48,838 votes. On the other hand, Salikhan Soren from JMM garnered 38,559 votes, and Sarfaraz Ahmed from Congress earned 35,727 votes.
Jamtara
The key contest in Jamtara is between Congress MLA Irfan Ansari and BJP’s Sita Soren. Sita, the daughter-in-law of Jharkhand politician Shibu Soren and the sister-in-law of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, brings a strong political network to the race. However, this is her first time running for this constituency. She has previously contested from Jama in past elections. Irfan Ansari, the incumbent MLA, is a seasoned politician, with his father, Furqan Ansari, having represented Jamtara multiple times in the past. The Jamtara electorate is diverse, with both Muslim and tribal voters, making these communities crucial to both candidates’ strategies. The Congress party has traditionally held a strong foothold in the constituency, winning 12 out of 18 elections since 1952, but now faces a growing challenge from the BJP. The Ansari family’s political influence in the area remains significant, bolstered by Furqan Ansari’s five terms as MLA, ensuring the family’s deep roots in Jamtara’s political landscape.
Pakur
According to the ADR report, Akhil Akhtar, who is contesting from the Samajwadi Party in Pakur, is the richest candidate in Jharkhand. He has total assets worth over Rs 402 crore, including Rs 99 lakh in movable assets. This Samajwadi Party candidate from Pakur Assembly has previously won elections on a JMM ticket. This time, he is up against Congress candidate Nishat Alam and NDA-supported AJSU Party candidate Azhar Islam.
Giridih
This constituency is located in Giridih district of Jharkhand. JMM candidate Sudivya Kumar is contesting against BJP’s Nirbhay Kumar Shahbadi. In the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly elections, JMM’s Sudivya Kumar had won the Giridih seat with a margin of 15,884 votes. According to media reports, there will be 367 polling booths in the Giridih constituency for phase 2 of voting that is to be held on November 20. Across the state, nearly 30,000 polling booths will be established for the 2024 Assembly elections.
Dhanbad
Dhanbad is set to witness a key battle between INC’s Ajay Kumar Dubey and BJP’s Raj Sinha. The latter won from Dhanbad in both 2014 and 2019 elections. However, it was Congress’ Manan Mallick who won the elections in 2009. Since Sinha has had a stronghold in Dhanbad for the past two elections, it is going to b interesting to see if he will be able to make a hattrick on this seat.
Dumka
Dumka Assembly constituency is in the Dumka district of Jharkhand and is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) candidates. The key contest in this constituency is between JMM’s Basant Soren and BJP’s Sunil Soren. JMM’s Basant Soren had won the seat in 2020 Assembly by-election with 80,559 votes. He was then contesting against BJP’s Louis Marandi, who had managed to gather 73,717 votes. In the 2019 assembly elections, JMM’s Hemant Soren won with 81,007 votes, with BJP’s Louis Marandi finishing second at 67,819 votes. In the 2014 Assembly Elections, BJP’s Louis Marandi claimed victory with 69,760 votes, followed by JMM’s Hemant Soren, who secured 64,846 votes. JVM(P)’s Bablu Kumar Murmu and Congress’s Sagen Murmu received 4,552 and 3,594 votes, respectively.