J’khand polls: Talks underway whether we will contest in alliance or independently says Chirag

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president, Chirag Paswan, announced on Sunday that his party will participate in the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections. Discussions are currently underway within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to determine whether the LJP (Ram Vilas) will contest as part of the alliance or independently.

Chirag hinted that the party is prepared to run independently if the ongoing talks with the NDA do not lead to a favorable outcome. He stated, “Talks are ongoing regarding whether we will contest the elections in alliance or independently in Jharkhand. If the discussions with the alliance lead to a positive result, then it is fine. LJP is capable of contesting elections from anywhere.” Paswan further added that a final announcement would be made soon and emphasized the strength of the LJP (Ram Vilas) organization.

BJP’s Alliance Plans with JD(U) and AJSU

Assam Chief Minister and BJP’s election co-incharge for Jharkhand, Himanta Biswa Sarma, confirmed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to ally with the Janata Dal (United) and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party for the assembly polls. “In the elections, there will be an alliance with Janata Dal (U) and the AJSU Party. The seat-sharing arrangement is almost final, with discussions pending for 1-2 seats. We will announce the alliance after Pitru Paksha ends,” Sarma said.

JMM-Congress Alliance on Seat-Sharing

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji remained non-committal about the seat-sharing agreement between JMM and Congress for the upcoming elections. She emphasized that the final decision lies with the party high commands and mentioned that the elections would center around the leadership of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The term of the Jharkhand State Assembly is set to expire on January 5, 2025, and elections are scheduled for 81 constituencies, including 44 General, 9 SC, and 28 ST seats across the state. While the Election Commission of India (ECI) has yet to announce the official polling dates, preparations for the elections are well underway.

On September 24, a delegation from the ECI, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, conducted a comprehensive review of poll preparedness for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand, held at Ranchi. The ECI directed central and state enforcement agencies to curb the influence of money power in the elections.

During the Commission’s two-day review visit from September 23-24, representatives from national and state political parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress, National People’s Party, AJSU Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and Rashtriya Janata Dal, met with the Commission to discuss various aspects of the poll process.