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The upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections are heating up with the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress combine announcing their seat-sharing agreement, leaving the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) feeling left out. The alliance, part of the larger INDIA bloc, has decided to contest 70 of the state's 81 seats, leaving the remaining 11 for other allies like the RJD and the Left. While the exact distribution of these remaining seats is yet to be revealed, the RJD has already expressed its displeasure with the arrangement, calling it 'unilateral'.
The seat-sharing announcement came after a series of meetings between JMM leaders, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and leaders of the Congress and the RJD, including former Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav. While CM Soren expressed confidence in the alliance's ability to return to power based on its development work, the RJD voiced its concerns. RJD MP Manoj Jha pointed out that the decision to allocate seats to the RJD was made unilaterally and did not reflect the party's strength in different districts. He also highlighted the RJD's ability to defeat the BJP independently in certain regions, emphasizing the importance of a more collaborative approach to seat distribution.
The RJD's dissatisfaction has added a layer of tension to the already competitive electoral landscape. While the JMM dismissed the RJD's concerns as a 'pressure tactic', the RJD has left all options open, hinting at potential disagreements within the INDIA bloc. The announcement of the seat-sharing agreement comes a day after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) declared its own seat-sharing arrangement, with the BJP contesting 68 seats, the AJSU Party 10, the JD(U) 2, and the LJP (Ram Vilas) 1. The two-phase elections are scheduled for November 13 and 20, with counting taking place on November 23.
The 2019 elections saw the JMM-led alliance secure 47 seats, with the JMM winning 30, Congress 16, and the RJD 1. The BJP won 25 seats. This time, the CPI(ML), another constituent of the INDIA bloc, is also aiming to be part of the alliance. Both the JMM and the Congress are seeking more seats than in the previous elections, with the Congress requesting 33 seats. The alliance faces the challenge of countering a perception of anti-incumbency in Jharkhand. Although the NDA had a lead in 49 Assembly segments in the Lok Sabha elections, with the BJP leading in 46, the JMM-Congress combine is hoping to capitalize on the BJP's recent losses in the Lok Sabha elections, where its tally fell from 11 to 8.
The upcoming Jharkhand elections promise to be a close contest, with both the INDIA bloc and the NDA vying for power. The seat-sharing agreement, while seemingly finalized between the JMM and the Congress, has sparked tensions within the INDIA bloc. It remains to be seen how these internal disagreements will play out and whether they will ultimately affect the alliance's performance in the elections.
Source: For Jharkhand polls, JMM, Congress seal seat-sharing deal, leave RJD in the cold