INDI Alliance announces seat-sharing plan for Assembly votes

In a key development ahead of the upcoming legislative elections, the INDI alliance revealed its seat-sharing formula during a press conference at the Chief Minister’s residence in Ranchi. Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced that candidates from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress party will contest 70 of the total 81 seats in the state assembly.

Soren shared that other allied parties within the INDIA coalition would compete for the remaining 11 seats. According to sources, the JMM will field candidates in 41 constituencies, while the Congress will contest 29 seats.

Furthermore, two key allies of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand – the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Communist Party of India Liberation (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) – are expected to field their candidates for the remaining seats. Soren emphasized that the alliance carefully formulated its strategy to ensure the best possible result in the elections.

“This election is a serious matter for us. Every aspect has been carefully analyzed and our allies are fully committed,” Soren said at the press conference. “In addition to the JMM and the Congress, the left-wing parties will now play a significant role, further strengthening the alliance. For now, JMM and Congress candidates will contest 70 seats, while the rest will be contested by our other partners.”

He further hinted that the process of allocating specific candidates to specific constituencies will be finalized soon. The first list of JMM and Congress candidates is expected to be released in the coming days.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also in Ranchi to attend meetings with alliance leaders, and his presence is expected to help iron out any remaining details of the seat-sharing agreement.

Meanwhile, the rival National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has already finalized its seat-sharing strategy. On October 18, the NDA announced that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 68 seats, the All Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU) will field candidates in 10 constituencies, while the Janata Dal Party (United) and Lok Janshakti ( Ram Vilas) were allotted two and one seat respectively.

The INDIA alliance aims to consolidate opposition forces in Jharkhand to counter the NDA’s strong presence in the state, making these elections a significant political contest. With both alliances announcing their seat-sharing formulas, the political stage is set for a fierce electoral battle.