LS polls: Battle for Ranchi seat draws Congress, BJP in close contest

One of the most coveted Lok Sabha constituencies of Jharkhand, Ranchi is set to witness a keen electoral contest between the Congress, a partner in the ruling alliance and the BJP, the principal Opposition force in the state.

Congress' Yashaswini Sahay is pitted against a formidable rival in the form of the BJP's Sanjay Seth. Ranchi will poll in the sixth or penultimate phase of the ongoing general elections on May 25.

The counting of votes for all phases in the state and elsewhere is scheduled for June 4.

The Ranchi constituency covers parts of Seraikela Kharsawan and Ranchi districts and encompasses six assembly segments--Ichagarh, Silli, Khijri, Ranchi, Hatia and Kanke.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Sanjay Seth, contesting on a BJP ticket, managed to secure a comfortable victory over his Congress rival Subodh Kant Sahay. The BJP got 7,06,828 votes while the latter fell significantly short at 4,23,802 votes.

Sanjay Seth's political career began with him becoming a member of the Local Board of the State Bank of India, Patna, Bihar, and Jharkhand in 2005. In 2016, he was appointed as the chairperson of the Jharkhand State Khadi and Village Industries Board. After registering victory in the 2019 general elections, he served on the Standing Committee on Information Technology and Subordinate Legislation.

Congress nominee Yashaswini Sahay is the daughter of former Union Minister and party veteran Subodhkant Sahay. Yashaswini's mother, Rekha Sahay, is a popular television artiste. After completing her initial studies, Yashaswini obtained a Bachelor of Law degree from Mumbai. Later, she obtained a Master's degree in Law from Transnational Crime and Justice (United Nations Crime and Justice Research Institute) in Italy's Turin.

Historically, Ranchi has witnessed fierce contests between the BJP and the Congress. In 1951, the Congress' Abdul Ibrahim emerged victorious while Independent candidate Minoo Masani wrested the covered seat in 1957. From 1962 to 1971, PK Ghosh won three consecutive terms in the Lok Sabha from this seat.

The 1980 and 1984 elections in the seat were won by Ravindra Verma and Shiv Prasad Sahu, respectively. In 1989, Subodh Kant Sahay of Janta Dal emerged victorious, succeeded by Ram Tahal Choudhary of BJP, who won four consecutive elections from 1991 to 1999. Subodh Kant reclaimed the seat in 2004 and 2009 representing Congress. Ram Tahal Choudhary of the BJP secured victory once again in 2014.

Jharkhand is polling across four phases: May 13, 20, 25, and June 1.

In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 seats in Jharkhand, with the BJP winning 11. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress got one seat each. The general elections are being held in seven phases in a six-week marathon running from April 19 to June 1.