NDA finalizes seat-sharing in Jharkhand: BJP to contest 68 seats, allies get 13
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who serves as the BJP co-in-charge for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, revealed that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has nearly finalized its seat-sharing arrangement. According to the plan, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party will contest 10 seats, the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] will compete in 2, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will field a candidate in 1 seat.
While addressing the media on Friday, Sarma explained that although the seat-sharing talks are nearly complete, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is adopting a "wait and watch" strategy, as key rival parties, such as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), have not yet made their electoral plans public. The elections for Jharkhand’s 81-member Assembly will be conducted in two phases, with voting scheduled for November 13 and November 20. The results will be announced on November 23, following the vote count.
Sarma provided specific details of the arrangement, mentioning that AJSU Party will contest from constituencies such as Silli, Ramgarh, Gomia, Ichagarh, Mandu, Jugsalai, Dumri, Pakur, Lohardaga, and Manoharpur. JD(U) will field candidates in Jamshedpur West and Tamar, while LJP (Ram Vilas) will focus on Chatra. He made the announcements during a press briefing, which was also attended by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto. As part of the NDA’s seat allocation, the BJP will contest 68 seats. However, discussions are still ongoing, and a final decision on the BJP's complete list of candidates is expected soon.