Dumka: Barhait constituency (ST) in Santhal Pargana appears to be a cakewalk for chief minister Hemant Soren, who is seeking a third consecutive term from here. The constituency stands as the most significant electoral battleground in the upcoming assembly elections.
Despite it being a traditional JMM stronghold, the BJP's selection of a relatively weak candidate against Hemant indicates a likely increase in his victory margin compared to previous elections.


BJP’s attempts to secure Lois Marandi, former Dumka MLA and state minister, as their candidate proved unsuccessful. Marandi opted to join JMM instead and contest from Jama, another Soren family bastion. Consequently, the saffron party nominated Gamliyel Hembrom for Barhait.
Hembrom's previous electoral performance as an Ajsu-P candidate against Hemant resulted in merely 2,573 votes.
"The sorry state of affairs prevailing in the BJP is evident from the fact that it does not have a suitable candidate against Hemant," noted a political analyst.
Following Lois's departure from the BJP after two decades due to denial of a ticket from Dumka, the party attempted to recruit Mandal Murmu, one of Hemant Soren's nomination proposers.
Although Murmu, a descendant of Santhal Hul rebellion leaders Sido and Kanhu from Bhognadih, declined to contest, he recently joined the BJP, citing alignment with their policies, particularly regarding Bangladeshi immigration.
The JMM's dominance in Barhait dates to 1990, with Hemlal Murmu winning four terms (1990, 1995, 2000, and 2009). Thomas Soren secured victory in 2005 when Hemlal Murmu became an MP.
After winning both Dumka and Barhai constituencies in 2014, Hemant chose to leave Dumka.
His brother won from there in the bypoll to retain the seat for JMM.