SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 25: In recent years, wherever assembly elections were held in cow-belt states, the BJP consistently outperformed the Congress in direct contests between candidates of the two national parties. This trend was evident in the recent Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls, where the BJP maintained its dominance over its traditional rival.
However, the 2024 Jharkhand assembly elections marked a departure from this pattern. In this elections, the Congress broke the jinx, defeating the BJP in direct contests in several constituencies.
BJP and Congress seat distribution and results
The BJP fielded candidates in 67 of Jharkhand’s 81 constituencies and secured 21 seats. Meanwhile, the Congress contested 30 seats, winning 16 of them. Notably, the two parties faced off directly in 24 constituencies, where the Congress emerged victorious in 13 seats, while the BJP claimed 11.
Although the Congress won two fewer seats compared to the 2019 elections, it succeeded in defeating the BJP in 13 head-to-head contests. Interestingly, in the Panki seat, both parties were in a direct fight but Independent candidate Devendra Singh pushed the Congress to third place while BJP bagged the seat.
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Congress’s Key Victories in Direct Contests Against BJP
The Congress achieved significant wins over the BJP in direct contests in constituencies like Bermo, where Jaimangal Singh triumphed, and Bokaro, represented by Sweta Singh. Shilpi Neha Tirkey secured victory in Mandar, while Pradeep Yadav won in Poreyahat.
Congress candidates Radhakrishna Kishore, Sona Ram Sinku, and Deepika Pandey Singh clinched victories in Chhatarpur, Jagarnathpur, and Mahgama, respectively. In Jamtara, Irfan Ansari defeated BJP, with Rajesh Kachhap doing the same in Khijri. Congress also succeeded in Manika, Kolebira, Kanke, and Simdega through Ramchandra Singh, Naman Bixal Kongari, Suraj Baitha, and Bhushan Badar, respectively.
The Congress also won in Pakur, Lohardaga, and Ramgarh, defeating AJSU in the latter. However, it lost in Mandu to AJSU and in Jamshedpur West to the Janata Dal (U).
BJP’s victories against Congress in direct contests
The BJP registered victories against the Congress in several key constituencies. Raj Sinha won in Dhanbad Sadar, Ragni Singh triumphed in Jharia, and Shatrughan Mahto emerged victorious in Baghmara. Manoj Kumar Yadav secured the Barhi seat, while Navin Jaiswal and Alok Chourasia won in Hatia and Daltonganj, respectively.
Devendra Kuwar claimed Jermundi, and Pradeep Prasad was victorious in Hazaribagh. In Panki, Shashibhushan Mehta defeated the Congress, while Purnima Sahu and Roshanlal Choudhary secured wins in Jamshedpur East and Barkagaon.
The Congress’s performance in the 2024 Jharkhand assembly elections underscores its ability to challenge the BJP’s dominance in the state, particularly in direct contests.
