In Jharkhand, BJP attempts to retain two of three LS seats in last phase of polling

In the final phase of Lok Sabha election polling, focus shifts to Santhal region in Jharkhand for three parliamentary seats.

In the last phase of polling for the Lok Sabha election, all eyes have now shifted to Santhal region in Jharkhand where voting will take place for three parliamentary seats of Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda.

Sixteen of the 18 constituencies in six districts — Deoghar, Godda, Sahebganj, Pakur, Dumka and Jamtara — are bracketed as Santhal Pargana. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be trying to retain its two parliamentary seats. The party had won Godda and Dumka seats in the 2019 general election whereas it lost Rajmahal seat to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Also read: JMM, Congress are big crocodiles, looting mountains of money, PM Modi says in Jharkhand’s Dumka

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand but later the same year, BJP won just four Assembly seats out of 18 in Santhal Pargana in the State Assembly election.

BJP’s prestige is at stake as JMM founder Shibu Soren’s eldest daughter-in-law Sita Soren, who quit the party a month before the Lok Sabha election and joined the BJP, is contesting as the saffron party candidate from Dumka.

Dumka consists of six Assembly segments namely — Jamtara, Sikaripara, Nala, Dumka, Jama and Sarath. This seat is associated with the JMM as Mr. Soren has represented this segment six times winning it for the first time way back in 1989. At present, this seat is represented by Sunil Soren, who has been dropped this election by the BJP.

Basant Soren, the younger brother of former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren who is in jail in an alleged land scam case, is the legislator from Dumka. Nala MLA Rabindra Nath Mahato is the Speaker of the Assembly and this gives the JMM an upper hand.