Releases Names of 21 Candidates
Ranchi: The political landscape for the Assam Assembly elections has cleared as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress—allies in the Jharkhand government—prepare to face off against each other. After seat-sharing talks failed, JMM decided to contest the elections independently, officially releasing a list of 21 candidates on Monday.
JMM Central Committee General Secretary and Spokesperson, Vinod Kumar Pandey, announced that the party will contest these 21 seats with full strength, focusing primarily on local issues and tribal interests. The move comes after high-level negotiations, including visits to Ranchi by Assam Congress in-charge Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and President Gaurav Gogoi, failed to yield a “respectable” seat-sharing agreement. Even Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s personal intervention in Delhi could not break the deadlock.
Targeting the “Tea-Tribe” and Tribal Vote Bank
JMM’s strategy focuses heavily on the tribal and tea-garden (Tea-Tribe) communities, which play a decisive role in Assam’s politics. Out of the 126 seats in the Assam Assembly, 19 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. JMM aims to leverage its experience in Jharkhand’s tribal politics to make a mark in these constituencies.
Key Candidates from the Released List:
- Preeti Rekha Barla: Majbat
- Tehru Gaur: Biswanath
- Amit Nag: Khumtai
- Bhupen Murari: Chabua
- Fedkrishan Hansda: Gossaigaon
- Matthew Topno: Rangapara
- Sanjay Bagh: Naharkatia
A Strategic Shift
This decision is seen as a major strategic move that could lead to a split in the opposition vote, as JMM will now campaign against both the BJP and Congress. Party leaders noted that despite their partnership in Jharkhand, regional interests took precedence in Assam. This follows a similar trend seen during the Bihar elections, where the RJD-Congress alliance also sidelined JMM.
