The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), led by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on Saturday announced that it will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections independently, a move that could strain opposition unity within the INDIA bloc.
JMM General Secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said the party will field candidates in six constituencies, including Chakai, Dhamdaha, Katoria, Pirpainti, Manihari, and Jamui, breaking away from ongoing seat-sharing talks with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.
Bhattacharya said JMM had reached out to all allies within the Mahagathbandhan, particularly the RJD, to discuss the seats where its local workers had long opposed the JD(U)-BJP combine.
He also pointed out that JMM had extended support to the RJD and Congress in Jharkhand during the 2019 Assembly elections, ceding seats for coalition unity.
“Despite our cooperation, only one RJD candidate from Chatra was given a ministerial post for five years. Even after the 2024 elections, JMM offered six seats to RJD and a key cabinet position to one of its members,” Bhattacharya said.
Earlier, Jharkhand Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu said JMM had expressed its interest in contesting certain Bihar seats to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav during a meeting in Patna.
The two leaders were expected to finalise JMM’s role following an INDIA bloc discussion on October 6, but the talks did not yield an agreement.
With the alliance discussions faltering, JMM has decided to go solo, banking on its influence in Bihar’s tribal and border regions near Jharkhand.
Sonu also noted that the party would focus on consolidating its presence ahead of the Ghatshila by-election in Jharkhand, scheduled for November 11 — a traditional JMM stronghold.
Elections to Bihar’s 243-member Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting set for November 14.
The Mahagathbandhan is yet to announce its final list of candidates, even as JMM’s independent foray threatens to alter the alliance’s arithmetic in key constituencies.
