POLITICS

Jharkhand VS polls: BJP likely to allocate 9 seats to AJSU and 2 to JD (U)

After thumping victory in Haryana, the BJP is preparing to contest Jharkhand Assembly polls. The Jharkhand core group meeting that was held recently, discussed the candidates for each constituency. The meeting was presided over by the BJP President JP Nadda while Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and key Jharkhand leaders, including Union Ministers Sanjay Seth, Annapurna Devi, state President Babulal Marandi, former Union Minister Arjun Munda, and others were also present. The party is likely to allocate nine seats to the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), two to the Janata Dal (United) (JDU), and one to the Lok Janshakti Party. On all 28 tribal-dominated seats, the party will field tribal candidates. Sources also said that the party is confident to secure more than 35 seats out of the 53 non-tribal constituencies. The BJP leadership believes that Champai Soren has strong influence over 14 seats and is sure of winning at least seven seats surrounding the Kolhan belt.

Not TMC but CPI(M) giving tough challenge to BJP in West Bengal?

The Bharatiya Janata Party is the prime opposition party in the Bengal state Assembly, but in the 2026 Assembly election would they slip from that designation, is the question asked in political circle nowadays. In the last assembly election in Bengal in 2021, BJP could bag only 77 seats compared to 213 of the Trinamool Congress and in the Parliamentary elections this year, their downfall continued. BJP secured only 12 seats, compared to 18 seats in 2019. In this vacuum, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is regaining the ground and emerging as the main opposition party in Bengal. A complete comeback in 2026 is a far-fetched dream but occupying the opposition seat is possible for the party. Despite its lacklustre performance in the state, this year in Lok Sabha election, they have been able to turn the heads of the voters towards themselves, thereby making BJP’s foothold shaky.