Two of the major political parties in Jharkhand, the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party and the Congress, are yet to finalise candidates for the three Lok Sabha seats that go to polls on April 29, the first phase of parliamentary elections in the state. The BJP has not yet announced its candidate for one of the three seats (Chatra), and the Congress has not decided on candidates for two seats (Chatra and Lohardaga).

The election process for the Palamu, Chatra, and Lohardaga parliamentary constituencies will begin on April 2 with the notifications of the election process. Nominations can be filed from the day of notification; the last date for filing of nomination is April 9. Jharkhand has 14 Lok Sabha seats and will vote in four phases: on April 29, three seats will go to polls; on May 6 and May 12, four seats each will witness polling; and on May 19, three parliamentary seats will see voting.

However, while the opening date for filing of nominations is just a day away, BJP is still undecided on whom to field from the Chatra constituency. The party has announced its candidates from the Palamu and Lohardaga constituencies, fielding sitting members of parliament VD Ram and Sudershan Bhagat, respectively.

Amit Lal, a senior BJP leader from Latehar, said, “An announcement in this regard is expected very soon. The party high command will declare candidates from Chatra, Ranchi, and Koderma in the next 48 hours. Candidates for the Chatra and Lohardaga Lok Sabha seats will be finalised by Monday. The party leadership is working on this and names have been finalised.”

The Congress has failed to finalise candidates from Chatra and Lohardaga, the two Lok Sabha seats that came to its kitty in the seat-sharing formula agreed upon by the opposition Grand Alliance. Under the formula, the Congress has a total of seven seats.

Its ally, the regional outfit Rashtriya Janata Dal, is ahead of the national parties. Not only has it fielded a candidate, Dhuran Ram, from Palamu, the seat given to it under the GA deal, but it has also fielded a contestant, Subhash Yadav, from Chatra, the seat that RJD had demanded but was given to the Congress. This friction within the Grand Alliance in Jharkhand is said to be having a ripple effect in Bihar, where RJD is the stronger partner and the Congress has got fewer seats under the sharing formula.

Lakshman Yadav, a senior leader in Jharkhand RJD, said, “Subhash Yadav will file his nomination on April 6, and Dhuran Ram on April 5.”

First Published: Apr 01, 2019 16:03 IST