189 Candidates To Contest In First Phase Of Jharkhand Election

A total 189 candidates are in the fray for 13 of the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand that are going to the polls in the first phase on November 30, election office sources said. The last date for withdrawing nomination papers for polls in the phase ended on Saturday.

A total of 228 candidates filed their papers for the first phase. Twenty-two nominations were rejected after scrutiny on Friday, while 17 candidates withdrew their papers on Saturday, the Election Commission said in a statement.

Jharkhand will have polls in five phases from November 30 to December 20. The counting of votes is on December 23.

Polling will be held in Chatra (SC), Gumla (ST), Bishunpur (ST), Lohardaga (ST), Manika (ST), Latehar (SC), Panki, Daltonganj, Bishrampur, Chhatarpur (SC), Hussainabad, Garhwa and Bhawanathpur seats in the first phase.

Chatra has the least number of candidates while Bhawanathpur has the most. The key candidates are former BJP chief whip Radhakrishna Kishore in Chhatarpur seat on AJSU Party
ticket, former minister Bhanu Pratap Sahi in Bhawanathpur constituency on a BJP ticket and JMM MLA Chamra Linda in Bishunpur seat.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) released its fourth list of candidates for the elections. The names of 21 JMM nominees have been declared so far.

The JMM, Congress and RJD have tied up to contest the assembly elections. As per the seat-sharing formula, the JMM will contest in 43 seats, the Congress 31 and the RJD on seven seats.