Soren focuses on booth management

SIXTEEN SEATS OF SANTHAL PARGANA REGION, CONSIDERED TO BE THE JMM STRONGHOLD, WILL GO TO POLLS ON FRIDAY; THE JMM HAS FIELDED CANDIDATES FROM 11 SEATS AND IS SUPPORTING CONG IN 4 AND RJD ON ONE SEAT

RANCHI: JMM working president and chief ministerial face of the grand alliance Hemant Soren on Thursday performed puja in Basukinath temple and held parleys with party workers and leaders at his Dumka residence.

The JMM leader and former chief minister most of the time remained engaged with the party workers in Dumka directing them on booth management on the last day of polling after his return from Basikinath, which is about 22 km from his home.

The regional party has been working with renewed vigour after JMM president Shibu Soren lost from Dumka in the Lok Sabha polls held seven months back. The rank and file is working hard to restore JMM’s supremacy in the region thereafter.

Sixteen seats of Santhal Pargana region, considered to be the JMM stronghold will go to polls on Friday. The regional party has fielded candidates from 11 seats and supporting the Congress in four and RJD on one seat.

The last phase is crucial for the JMM and the regional party is desperate to safeguard its bastion that the BJP had dented successfully in 2014 assembly polls and 2019 general election.

The saffron party has targeted to win maximum seats from Santhal his time. Several national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah besides chief minister Raghubar Das campaigned extensively this time in the region.

The JMM and BJP had won six seats each in the last assembly election. The congress had won three, and the JVM (P) one seat respectively.

In most of the seats the contest is direct between the BJP and grand alliance of the opposition this time.

JMM working president Hemant Soren himself is contesting two assembly seats – Barhet and Dumka. In 2014 state polls as well he had contested the seats. He had won Barhet but lost from Dumka.