Congress in wilderness for long time looks to make an impact

Jharkhand - In the last general elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won two seats.

Jharkhand, which has 14 parliamentary constituencies, will vote in four phases on April 29, May 6, 12 and 19. The state, carved out of Bihar, came into being on November 15, 2000. Rich in mineral resources, the state is home to over 32 native tribes. One of the main issues is Maoist-insurgency which is affecting at least 21 of 24 districts in the state.
In the last general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 12 seats while the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won two.
The Congress has been out of power for several years and is looking to make a headway in the state.
Like Bihar, the state could see direct fight between the NDA, comprising the BJP and the AJSU party and the grand alliance, comprising the Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Jharkhand Vikas Manch (JVM) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
The BJP and the AJSU party are also the current ruling coalition partners in the state. The BJP will contest 13 seats while the AJSU party, which is formerly known as All Jharkhand Students Union, will fight on one seat ­- Giridih. The Congress is contesting on seven seats, the JMM four, the JVM two and the RJD on one.
The lone seat to the RJD in the seat-sharing deal indicates that unlike Bihar the party has lost its clout in Jharkhand, especially after RJD state unit president Annapurna Devi deserted Lalu's party for the BJP recently. She joined the ruling party in New Delhi in presence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das. A four-time MLA from Koderma, Devi was a tall leader of the RJD in the state. She wanted to contest from Koderma Lok Sabha constituency but the RJD only got one seat, Palamu, under the deal.
The Congress and the JMM have arrived at an electoral understanding for both Lok Sabha and assembly elections. While the Congress is leading the alliance in the parliamentary elections, the party will contest assembly polls under the aegis of the JMM.
The JMM is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Dumka, Rajmahal, Giridih, and Jamshedpur, the steel city.
A significant contestant from the Congress is cricketer-turned-politician and former BJP MP Kirti Azad, who is contesting from Dhanbad. The son of former Bihar chief minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, he has represented Darbhanga in Bihar and was later suspended by the BJP in 2015. He joined the Congress in February.
The Congress has also fielded Geeta Koda, the wife of former chief minister Madhu Koda, from Chaibasa and former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay from the state capital Ranchi.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, the son of former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, is again contesting from Hazaribagh on BJP ticket. A strong contender, Jayant Sinha faces former MP Bhubaneshwar Mehta of CPI from the constituency. The Congress is yet to announce its candidate from the constituency.
Three former chief ministers are contesting this time for Lok Sabha polls. Shibu Soren of the JMM, Arjun Munda of the BJP and Babulal Marandi of the JVM-P are fighting from Dumka, Khuti and Koderma respectively. As soon as Annapurna Devi joined the BJP, the ruling party fielded her from Koderma against Babulal Marandi. The constituency is all set to witness a triangular fight with Raj Kumar Yadav of CPI(ML) as third candidate. Koderma is dominated by Bhumihars, Kushwahas, Muslims and Yadavs. While Devi is expected to garner the vote of Yadavs, she may lose Muslim support after her entry into the ruling party.
Despite Devi's candidature, the saffron party faces tough time to defend its stronghold in the wake of the formidable challenge posed by the opposition grand alliance. The party failed to put up a good show during the by-elections for six assembly seats between 2015 and 2018. The BJP lost all but one seat. However, in the 2018 Panchayat polls, the party fared well, winning most of the seats.
sohail@khaleejtimes.com