Jharkhand Assembly election: JD(U) stakes claim on 11 seats, list of candidates submitted to Nitish Kumar

Ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly election due later this year, the Janata Dal (United) has staked claim on 11 seats, to be contested in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The decision was taken on July 27 during a meeting chaired by JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who skipped the NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi and discussed election preparations in the neighbouring State with party leaders at his official residence in Patna. The meeting was attended by Rajya Sabha member Khiru Mahto, who heads Jharkhand JD(U), national working president Sanjay Jha, JD(U) Jharkhand in-charge Ashok Choudhary, and other leaders.

Mr. Mahto said that the final decision on seats would be taken after a meeting with top BJP leaders. However, he stressed that the party’s preparations will cover all 81 seats.

“A list of 11 candidates has been submitted to Nitish Kumar ji. For sure we will contest the election in alliance with the BJP,“ Mr. Mahto said while talking to the media outside the CM’s residence.

Mr. Mahto did not reveal the names of the candidates and the Assembly seats from which party they would contest.

The JD(U) contested from 40 seats in the 2019 Assembly election but did not win even one. It similarly drew a blank in 2014, when it contested from 45 seats.

After Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar as a separate State in 2000, the JD(U) tasted some initial success. In the first Assembly election held in 2005, the party, as a member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), fielded 18 candidates and won in six seats, with a vote share of 4%. In the 2009 election, both its vote share and number of seats declined. In an alliance with the BJP, the JD(U) contested 14 seats and won just two, its vote share falling to 2.78%.

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In the tribal State of Jharkhand, Kurmis or Mahtos who are classified under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category, account for 22% of the population. Scheduled Castes account for 16%, Scheduled Tribes 26% and the Bihari community around 7-10%. The JD(U) is training its lens on the last section of voters.

Asked about the other issues discussed in the meeting, Mr. Mahto said, “As many as 13 Kurmi and Kushwaha organisations met Nitish ji with the demand of inclusion of Kurmis in the ST list. This is our long-pending demand and we will it in Parliament as well. We will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to press for our demand.”

Earlier, Saryu Roy who heads the Bhartiya Jantantra Morcha in Jharkhand, met Mr. Kumar in Patna and expressed his desire to contest the election in alliance with the JD(U).

Mr. Mahto however said that he will urge Mr. Roy to join the JD(U) and contest the election on a party ticket.