Campaign for second phase of Jharkhand polls ends with big promises

INDIA bloc promises to conduct caste census, while BJP-led NDA says it will stop cow slaughter in the tribal-dominated State

Campaigning for the second and final phase of the Jharkhand Assembly election concluded on Monday (November 18, 2024), with voting in 38 constituencies set to take place on Wednesday (November 20, 2024). Both the INDIA bloc and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders ended the campaign with big promises.

Holding a series of rallies, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promised a ban on cow slaughter in the tribal-dominated State. He addressed rallies in Nala, Deoghar, Rajmahal and Jamtara Assembly constituencies where he reminded the people of Jharkhand that bulldozers have been kept in wait to reclaim the money looted by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Also read | Hemant Soren has mortgaged the whole of Jharkhand to the corrupt, says Marandi

He also said as soon as the BJP-led NDA government is formed in Jharkhand, it will oust the infiltrators and issue an advertisement for 1.5 lakh government jobs.

Mr. Adityanath asserted the BJP-NDA will form the government in Jharkhand with a huge majority. He pointed out that a double-engine government means “overall development of Jharkhand” and “security to every poor person, farmer, youth, sister and daughter without discrimination”.

“Wherever there is a double-engine government of the Bharatiya Janata Party, there can neither be ‘love jihad’ nor ‘land jihad’,” the Uttar Pradesh CM added.

The prominent candidates in the second phase are Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is contesting from the Barhait constituency, his wife Kalapana Soren from Gandey, and his brother Basant Soren from Dumka; BJP State president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar; Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Amar Kumar Bauri of the BJP, from Chandankiyari; Shibu Soren’s daughter-in-law Sita Soren from Jamtara; and All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) president Sudhesh Mahato from Silli.

In the second phase, the BJP is contesting on 32 seats and its ally AJSU on six seats. For the INDIA bloc, JMM is contesting from 20 seats, Congress from 13, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) from four, and RJD from two. The JMM and CPI(ML) will have a friendly contest in Dhanwar while the Congress and RJD will engage in a friendly fight in Chattarpur and Bishrampur.

Jharkhand has a total of 81 Assembly constituencies across 24 districts. Of these, 44 are general, 28 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), and nine for Scheduled Castes (SCs). Out of 38 seats going to polls in the final phase, 27 are general, three are reserved for SCs, and eight for STs.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP co-incharge for the Jharkhand election, announced that if people of Jharkhand “do not want to become slaves, they will vote for the BJP”. At a rally in Tundy, Mr. Sarma said, “If one wants to become a slave, then they should be a slave of Lord Shri Ram”.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was also in Ranchi on Monday where he slammed the BJP, alleging that the saffron party’s thinking is against the tribals.

“The Chief Minister of Jharkhand was arrested. Attempts were made to intimidate him, false allegations were made against him, but he did not step back. All this was done against the Chief Minister of Jharkhand because he is a tribal,” Mr. Gandhi said.

Mr. Gandhi promised that if the INDIA bloc was to be voted back to power, the caste census would be conducted in Jharkhand and the 50% reservation cap would also be removed. He also listed out the seven guarantees of the INDIA bloc mentioned in their manifesto.

Mr. Hemant Soren also campaigned in Silli and reminded people of the work he has carried out in his tenure. Union minister Chirag Paswan and president of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was in Jharia to campaign in support of the NDA candidate. 

Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K. Ravi Kumar said, “There will be no campaigning in this silent period. The political leaders, workers who have come from outside for election campaigning in the polling area have to leave the place immediately. Only those who are voters will be able to stay there. The Election Commission has a clear guideline that no outsider will be allowed in polling areas,” Mr. Kumar said.

A total of 1.23 crore voters will exercise their franchise in the 38 Assembly seats.

Published - November 18, 2024 10:06 pm IST