Rahul Gandhi’s Jharkhand Visit Will Boost NDA’s Chances, Says Pratul Shah

BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo is confident of the NDA's victory in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections.

After the NDA finalized its seat-sharing agreement, he said, "This is the first time in history that four parties have come together to contest the elections in Jharkhand, making the NDA stronger than ever."

As per the agreement, the BJP will contest 68 seats, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will contest 10 seats, Janata Dal (United) will contest two seats, and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will contest one seat in Chatra.

The Jharkhand assembly consists of 81 constituencies.

He also indicated the possibility of last-minute seat adjustments among allies if necessary. Deo criticized the current state government led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, calling it "the most corrupt in Jharkhand's history."

Regarding the upcoming visit of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to Jharkhand, Deo suggested that it would work in the NDA's favor, quipping, "We welcome Rahul Gandhi's visit as it will only help increase our party's seat count."

In the 2020 assembly elections, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has emerged as the single largest party winning 30 seats, while the BJP managed to win 25 seats, and Congress won 16 seats. In 2014, the BJP had a stronger performance, winning 37 seats, while JMM won 19, and Congress took 6.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is co-in-charge of the BJP's Jharkhand campaign, confirmed the seat-sharing agreement. AJSU Party will contest from constituencies such as Silli, Ramgarh, and Gomia, while JD(U) will field candidates in Jamshedpur West and Tamar. LJP will contest from Chatra. Sarma mentioned that while the NDA's seat-sharing is nearly finalized, the BJP is closely observing its rivals, including JMM, as they have yet to reveal their full electoral strategy.

The Election Commission has announced that Jharkhand will vote in two phases-November 13 and November 20-with vote counting on November 23. The state has 2.60 crore eligible voters, including 11.84 lakh first-time voters.