Himanta Biswa Sarma admits Jharkhand polls tough, hopeful of win 

Ranchi, October 27: Weeks before the two-phase Jharkhand Assembly elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who is BJP’s co-incharge for state assembly polls admitted that it will be a tough contest in the state.

This was the first time that a BJP leader has openly acknowledged that it will be a close contest while other senior BJP leaders including state president Babulal Marandi claimed that the ruling coalition will be wiped out in the state.

Himanta Biswa Sarma who is known for his political maneuvering skills and who is being considered the orchestrated the plan to bring former chief minister Champai Soren from JMM to BJP acknowledged the challenges for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in state, calling the state a “tough” battleground but expressing optimism about the party’s chances of securing power.

Sarma, BJP’s co-in charge for poll-bound Jharkhand, said he has focused his efforts on campaigning in the state, leaving little time to monitor the November 13 by-elections in Assam. “I have not been keeping tabs on the by-polls here. I have been very busy with Jharkhand,” the Sarma said, addressing a press conference in Guwahati.

Commenting on the BJP’s prospects in state, he said, “It is a tough state. But we are hopeful of good results there,” Sarma said to a news agency.

The two-phase Jharkhand Assembly polls are set for November 13 and 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. Meanwhile, Assam ministers, MLAs, and BJP’s state leadership are actively campaigning for the five upcoming assembly bypolls in the state, Sarma said.

“I am not sure whether I will be campaigning here this time. If I can manage time, perhaps I will campaign at one or two places,” Sarma added.

The BJP recently announced its 40-star campaigners for Jharkhand, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda, and Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Notable Chief Ministers such as Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh and Nayab Singh Saini of Haryana also feature in the list.

On Saturday, BJP revealed its first list of 66 candidates for Jharkhand, with an alliance formed alongside the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United), and Lok Janshakti Party. BJP will contest 68 seats, AJSU 10, JD-U two, and LJP one.

In most of the seats the battle is direct between ruling coalition (JMM-Congress-RJD) and NDA alliance (BJP-Ajsu, JD-U and LJP). CPI-ML candidates though supported by the ruling coalition are not openly admitted about their alliance with the ruling coalition.