Jailed former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren is not likely to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from behind bars as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Thursday announced candidates on two seats, one of which was the most suitable for Soren to contest the polls.
The JMM released its first list of two candidates for the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday. MLA Nalin Soren has been made the candidate from Dumka seat, from where party president Shibu Soren had contested the 2019 polls and had to face defeat at the hands of BJP's Sunil Soren.
BJP has made Shibu Soren's elder daughter-in-law Sita Soren its candidate from the Dumka seat.
JMM announced its second candidate for the Giridih Lok Sabha seat. It has fielded former minister and MLA Mathura Mahato, who will face AJSU Party candidate CP Chaudhary.
In 2019, JMM had fielded the late Jagannath Mahato from this seat but had lost the elections at the hands of AJSU Party’s CP Chaudhary.
Before the announcement of candidates for two seats, Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren and Minister Basant Soren went to Birsa Munda Central Jail and met the former Chief Minister and executive president of the party Hemant Soren.
It is being said that after Hemant's consent, the names of both candidates were announced in the afternoon.
Notably, the INDI Alliance in Jharkhand is in a quandary over the seat-sharing formula. There is a lot of confusion among the alliance partners on the seats of Dhanbad, Chaibasa, Palamu, and Chatra, due to which Congress has announced its candidate for three seats and JMM for only two seats.