Jkd polls: Graft, stability, regional issues to play big role

As Jharkhand gets a third chance to elect a majority government after experiencing two fractured mandates, many political leaders believe local issues would be the yardstick for voters' choice while BJP claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision would also appeal electors.
"Local issues do play a role in assembly polls along with wider national issues. This time Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personality and his vision on developmental issues will have greater impact," senior BJP leader and former MLA Saryu Roy said.
During his visit to Ranchi on August 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to the people to give a majority government to turn Jharkhand into a developed state.

Roy also said the voters have realised how unstable governments and lack of credible opposition during the past 14 years left Jharkhand to compete with newly created state Telangana while Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh have moved ahead despite all the three being carved out around the same time.
"Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand are far ahead of us in developmental indicators now we have to compete with the newly carved state of Telangana," Roy said.
Jharkhand, which has seen nine governments and three stints of President's rule in 14 years, saw fractured mandates in both 2005 and 2009 assembly elections.
The political parties are bracing up for the five-phase elections beginning November 25 in the backdrop of the state witnessing three governments and two stints of central rule alone between previous polls and now.