Ranchi: Chief minister Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana Soren featured in the first JMM list of 35 candidates for the state assembly election.
Hemant will contest from Barhait (ST) seat in Sahibganj district while his wife Kalpana is fielded from Gandey in Giridih. Basant Soren, Hemant’s younger brother, will also seek another term from party bastion in Dumka (ST).
Six candidates, including minister Mithilesh Kumar Thakur who featured in the first list, have already filed their nominations.
The tribal party, however, withheld the announcement of its candidates in key seats like Jama (ST) and Seraikela (ST). While JMM workers in Jama are up in protests over the party’s possible move to pick BJP turncoat Lois Marandi, the party is still in the hunt for a challenger to its former vice-president Champai Soren in Seraikela.
Most ministers, including Hafizul Hassan, Bebi Devi, Dipak Birua, Ramdas Soren and Baidyanath Ram, were fielded from their respective constituencies. Ajsu-P turncoat Uma Shankar Rajak was fielded against BJP’s Amar Kumar Bauri in Chandankyari while the party’s former MLA Amit Kumar Mahto was fielded from Silli against Ajsu-P chief Sudesh Mahto.
However, JMM fielded its outgoing Baharagora MLA Sameer Kumar Mohanty again despite formally inducting Kunal Sarangi into the party fold a day ago.
“The remaining candidates will be announced soon,” party general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey said.