INDIA bloc to contest Jharkhand polls together, seat sharing awaited
Talks are ongoing with other alliance partners, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties, for the remaining 11 seats
 "INDIA bloc to contest Jharkhand polls together, seat sharing awaited")
Jharkhand Assembly elections 2024: The INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties, has announced its decision to contest the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections together. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren confirmed on Saturday that the Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) alliance would field candidates in 70 of the 81 constituencies. However, the specific seat-sharing arrangement is still under discussion and will be disclosed at a later stage.
Soren also mentioned that talks are ongoing with other alliance partners, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties, for the remaining 11 seats.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shared its tentative seat-sharing arrangement for the state. Assam Chief Minister and BJP co-in-charge for the Jharkhand Assembly elections, Himanta Biswa Sarma, announced that the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) would contest 10 seats, the Janata Dal (United) would be allocated two seats, and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) would contest one seat.
Key dates for Jharkhand Assembly elections
The Jharkhand Assembly polls will take place in two phases, scheduled for November 13 and November 20. The counting of votes is set for November 23.
Approximately 26 million voters are expected to participate in the elections, including 1.184 million first-time voters, 113,000 voters with disabilities, third-gender voters, and senior citizens over 85 years of age.
Nominations for the first phase will undergo scrutiny on October 28, and the final date for withdrawal of candidacies is October 30.
The 43 constituencies set to vote on November 13 include several key regions such as Kodarma, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur East, Jamshedpur West, and Ranchi. The elections will cover a range of constituencies, including those reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC).
Key ST constituencies include Ghatsila, Potka, Chaibasa, and Khunti, while important SC constituencies such as Simaria, Chatra, and Kanke will also see voting in the first phase.