Key contests in fourth phase of Jharkhand assembly elections

The election for 15 assembly seats in the fourth phase shall take place on Monday. Here are some of the key contests playing out on the ground.
Bokaro- This was the seat which BJP had won with the highest margin of 72,643 in the entire state in 2014. BJP’s Biranchi Narayan had defeated independent candidate and sitting MLA Samresh Singh. Narayan this time has been challenged by Shweta Singh of Congress. Shweta is the daughter in law of Samresh Singh who is the local shatrap and has won this seat several times in the past. Samresh Singh has been campaigning strongly for her daughter in law. On the other had PM Modi has campaigned for Biranchi Narayan.

Chandankiyari- Land revenue minister in the state government Amar Kumar Bawri is in fray from the seat. In 2014, Bawri had won the seat as JVM candidate. Later he joined BJP and became a minister in the state. The main contest is between Bawri and AJSu candidate Umakant Rajak. This was one of the seats for which alliance between BJP and AJSU broke off. The opposition alliance has fielded Vijay Rajwar from JMM who is trying to make it a triangular contest. The seat would decide whether BJP can retain this seat against AJSU.

Jharia- The seat has grabbed eyeballs as two daughter in laws of the same family are in fray from BJP as well as Congress. Ragini Singh, BJP candidate is wife of sitting MLA Sanjeev Singh and daughter in law of Singh Mansion. Singh Mansion has controlled this assembly seat since 1977 barring only two occasions. Congress has fielded Poornima Singh, wife of Neeraj Singh who was murdered in 2017. Current MLA Sanjeev Singh is in jail in connection to the murder of Neeraj and both Neeraj and Sanjeev are cousins. The main contest is between BJP and Congress. BJP’s hope rests on core voter coming in large number to votes. While Congress hopes to get some urban votes along with minority and SC/ST votes.

Baghmara- Local strongman and two times MLA Dhullu Mahto is in fray again on a BJP ticket and challenging him is the old rival Jaleshwar Mahto, who had contested in 2014 on a JD(U) ticket. Jaleshwar Mahto this time is the Congress candidate in the alliance. Dhullu Mahto had won this seat for the BJP in 2014 with a margin of around 30,000 votes. The challenge for Dhullu this time is to beat the anti-incumbency and score a hat trick of winning this seat thrice. BJP president Amit Shah has campaigned for the BJP while no star campaigner has come from opposition side in the constituency.

Nirsa- Nirsa was the only seat which was won by Marxist Co-ordination Centre (MCC) Arup Chatterjee for the second time. However this time Chatterjee is facing a tough multi corner battle and this seat is going to decide whether the only left bastion in the region could go the other way. In 2014, Chatterjje winning margin over BJP was only of 1035 votes. This time BJP has fielded Aparna Sen Gupta who has been the former MLA from All India Forward Block (AIFB). She had contested in 2014 on AIFB ticket. Now she has joined the BJP to make it an interesting flight. Ashik Mandal is the JMM candidate in the alliance to make it a triangular contest.