Jharkhand Elections: JMM’s Mahua Maji to cross swords again with BJP veteran CP Singh for Ranchi Assembly Seat

Mail News Service

Ranchi, October 23: Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji has been fielded once again by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to contest for the Ranchi Assembly seat in the forthcoming Jharkhand elections– 2024. Maji will face off against BJP veteran CP Singh, who has held the seat since 1997.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, Maji contested the same seat but was narrowly defeated by Singh, who won by a margin of 5,904 votes. Singh secured 79,646 votes, while Maji received 73,742. Despite losing, Maji was later appointed to the Rajya Sabha, highlighting her continued influence within the JMM.

CP Singh has represented Ranchi for over two decades, consistently winning since 1997.

His victory in 2019 extended the BJP’s dominance in the constituency, with the party holding the seat since 1990. Singh has successfully defended his position across multiple elections, solidifying his stronghold in the region.

Maji, a former chairperson of the Jharkhand Women’s Commission and a notable figure in literature, will attempt to break the BJP’s long-standing control of Ranchi in the 2024 elections. The rematch between Maji and Singh is set to be a closely watched contest in Jharkhand’s political landscape.

BJP candidates have dominated this seat since 1990, when Gulshan Lal Ajmani first secured the win. Before BJP’s reign, Congress’s Jaiprakash Gupta won the seat in 1985. After a brief hiatus in 1996, when Yashwant Sinha left to contest the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat, CP Singh has consistently won the Ranchi seat in every election since 1997.

JMM announced Maji’s candidacy as part of its broader electoral strategy. The party late on Tuesday released first list of 35 candidates for the assembly elections, out of a total of 41 seats it plans to contest in Jharkhand’s 81-member assembly. Key JMM leaders such as Chief Minister Hemant Soren will contest from Barhet, Kalpana Soren from Gandey, Basant Soren from Dumka, and Baby Devi from Dumri. Maji’s name, along with a few others, was initially absent from the list, but the JMM has now confirmed her nomination for the Ranchi seat.

The 2024 elections will be a crucial test for both Maji and Singh, as they face off once again for control of the Ranchi constituency.