BJP’s first list of 66 Jharkhand candidates: Ex-CMs, their kin to new faces and turncoats

Among the most prominent names in the BJP’s list is Marandi, Jharkhand’s first CM after the state was founded in 2000, who is now the state party chief.

He will contest from Dhanwar, a seat he had won in the 2019 polls as the candidate of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM), a party he founded in 2006 after quitting the BJP. Marandi merged the JVM with the BJP in 2020.

Champai briefly served as the CM after JMM leader Hemant Soren stepped down from this post in January this year. Hemant was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on alleged money laundering charges.

Champai later resigned from the JMM to join the BJP weeks after Hemant again took over as the CM in July following his release from jail on bail.

Champai will contest from Seraikela, a seat he has won in four consecutive polls since 2005. The 67-year-old leader’s entry into the BJP was seen as a significant boost for the party’s efforts to strengthen its connection with the Scheduled Tribes (ST), a strong support base of the ruling JMM. Champai was also able to negotiate a seat for his son Babulal Soren, who will contest from Ghatshila.

Purnima Sahu, the daughter-in-law of Odisha Governor and former Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das, will contest from Jamshedpur East. Das, the only Jharkhand CM to have completed a full term, had represented the seat for five consecutive terms since 1995 until he lost to then Independent Saryu Roy in the 2019 polls.

Former CM and ruling JMM co-founder Shibu Soren’s daughter-in-law Sita Soren will fight on the BJP ticket from Jamtara, a general seat currently held by the Congress. Though Sita Soren is a former three-time JMM MLA from Jama – an ST-reserved seat – since she was born in Odisha and is not a domiciled resident of Jharkhand, the BJP decided to field her from Jamtara to avoid any controversy at a later stage.

Former Congress leader and Singhbhum MP Geeta Koda, wife of the ex-CM Madhu Koda – who was convicted in a coal scam case in 2017 – will contest from Jagannathpur, which Geeta and Madhu have each represented for two terms, and is now held by the Congress. Both husband and wife had joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, in which Geeta lost to the JMM’s Joba Majhi from the Singhbhum constituency.

Former Dumka MP Sunil Soren, who was denied the Lok Sabha ticket, will contest the Dumka Assembly seat. Dumka was one of two seats won by Hemant Soren in 2019, and was won by his brother Basant in a 2020 bypoll after the CM vacated the seat.

Former Rajya Sabha MP Sameer Oraon and ex-Union minister Sudarshan Bhagat will contest the Bishunpur and Gumla seats, respectively. Bhagat had won the Gumla Assembly seat in 2000.

Of its 25 MLAs who had won in the 2019 polls, the BJP denied tickets to four – from the Simaria, Kanke, Jamua, Sindri Assembly constituencies – fielding 19 sitting legislators again. It has also given tickets to a slew of party veterans, new faces and turncoats.

Jharkhand will go to polls in two phases on November 13 and November 20. The results will be announced on November 23.