Power Show: Over 100 candidates including Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, LoP file nomination

Ranchi: The state on Thursday witnessed a major political show of strength and support as over 100 prominent candidates filed their nominations for the upcoming Assembly elections next month. Across major cities and small towns, rallies and public meetings were held, with senior political figures from various parties demonstrating their influence.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led the charge by filing his nomination from the Barhait seat in Sahibganj district. Other key JMM leaders who filed their papers included Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato from Nala, Kalpana Soren from Gandey, and Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji from Ranchi.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also made its presence felt, with Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri filing his nomination from Chandankiyari in Bokaro district. Among other BJP heavyweights were former Assembly Speaker Chandreshwar Prasad Singh from Ranchi, Meera Munda (wife of former Union Minister Arjun Munda) from Potka, Purnima Das Sahu (daughter-in-law of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das) from Jamshedpur East, and former ministers Bhanu Pratap Shahi from Garhwa and Neera Yadav from Koderma. In addition, ex-IPS officer Dr. Arun Oraon filed his nomination from Sisai, while former Union Minister Sudarshan Bhagat filed from Gumla, six times MLA CP Singh along with 31 other BJP candidates.

The Congress also had key figures submitting their nominations, including Minister Dr. Irfan Ansari (Jamtara), Minister Dr. Rameshwar Oraon (Lohardaga), national spokesperson Dr. Ajay Kumar (Jamshedpur East), Minister Banna Gupta (Jamshedpur West), and Minister Deepika Pandey Singh (Mahagama).

Candidates from the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party, such as Lambodar Mahto (Gomia), Neru Shanti Bhagat (Lohardaga), and Ramchandra Sahis (Jugsalai), also filed their nominations. Additionally, Subhash Prasad Yadav (Koderma) from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and former Minister Girinath Singh (Garhwa) from the Samajwadi Party joined the fray.

Jharkhand’s elections are scheduled for November 13 and 20, with the deadline for filing nominations for the first phase set for October 25 and for the second phase on October 29.