Challenges Ahead: BJP’s Hurdles in Winning Jharkhand’s Rajmahal Seat

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 12th March.
All throughout the nation, political parties have begun intensifying their efforts to get ready for the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP in Jharkhand is up against a formidable foe. The BJP is worried about Rajmahal, one of the state’s 14 Lok Sabha seats. The reason is that the Bharatiya Janata Party was unable to raise its flag in this seat even with the Modi wave in 2014 and 2019. Tala Marandi is the candidate from this place this time. Tell us which party has dominated this area and which party has won thus far in 1957. Paika Murmu emerged victorious. With 47.01% of the vote, Congress defeated Robert Samuel Besra of the Jharkhand Party with 45.8%. Congress won the Rajmahal seat in the 1962 Lok Sabha elections. From this point on, Jharkhand Party’s Ishwar Marandi prevailed. Against the Indian National Congress’s 37.5% of the total votes, he received 50% of the total.

In 1967, Ishwar Marandi prevailed

Ishwar Marandi, the winner of the 1962 Jharkhand Party, was brought into the Indian National Congress and given the party ticket for the 1967 Lok Sabha elections. As a result, Marandi was elected to the Rajmahal seat for the Congress. Ramswaroop Besra, a candidate for the Swatantra Party, received 22.5% of the total votes cast, while Ishwar Marandi received 26.6%. The Indian National Congress was again the party holding this seat in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections. This is where Ishwar Marandi triumphed once more. He received 44.4% of the vote, compared to 28.5% for the Bihar Province Hul Jharkhand Party.

Congress won the seat back in 1977

This seat was no longer held by the Congress Party after the Congress Party substituted a different candidate in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections. At this point, Yogesh Chandra Murmu was nominated by the Congress and had to lose the 1977 Lok Sabha election. It was from this point that the Bharatiya Lok Dal won. Anthony Murmu of the Bharatiya Lok Dal took home the Rajmahal seat in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections. Against the Indian National Congress’s meagre 25.8% of the total votes, he received 66.3%.

The Congress party switched candidates in the 1980 Lok Sabha elections and went on to win. Seth Hembram received a ticket from the Indian National Congress this time around. Palu Hansda of the Janata Party received 21.8% of the vote, while the Indian National Congress received 39.4%.  Congressman Seth Hembram won this seat again in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections. He received 48.6% of the total votes, compared to 23.8% for Simon Marandi of JMM.

In 1989, JMM emerged triumphant

 A shift occurred in the Rajmahal seat during the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, where JMM’s Simon Marandi emerged victorious. Before this, Seth Hembrum, who had held the seat for two consecutive terms, could only muster 16.7% of the vote. In contrast, Simon Marandi received 56.6% of the total. Simon Marandi of JMM was the winner of this seat in the 1991 Lok Sabha elections. In all, 37.5% of the votes were cast for Simon Marandi. Thomas Hansda was the new candidate chosen by the Indian National Congress. They were unable to record a victory, though. In contrast to Santlal Marandi of the BJP, who received 26.9% of the vote, he could only gain 30.6%.

Congress triumphed once more in 1996

The Indian National Congress won Rajmahal’s seat in the 1996 Lok Sabha elections once more. From this point on, Thomas Hansda prevailed. Simon Marandi of JMM received 19.8% of the vote. Voters gave the Bharatiya Janata Party 16.3% of the total. Additionally, Janata Dal’s Lobin Hembram stood here with 15.4% of the vote. Aratiya Jan Sangh received 15.7% of the vote.

For the first time, in 1998, the BJP raised its banner over the seat

In the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, Som Marandi, a BJP candidate, won this seat for the first time. In all, 33.4 % of the votes were cast for the BJP, 33.4 for the Indian National Congress, and 25.2 for JMM.

The Indian National Congress won the Rajmahal seat in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. In this instance, Thomas Hansda received 44.4% of the vote, compared to Som Marandi of the BJP’s 33.01%. Simon Marandi of JMM received 20.1% of the vote.

The inaugural Lok Sabha elections took place in 2004 following Jharkhand’s statehood

This seat was won by JMM in the first Lok Sabha elections held in 2004 following Jharkhand’s split. From here, Hemlal Murmu prevailed. JMM received 32.8% of the vote, while Thomas Hansda of the Indian National Congress received 32.3 %. There was a very narrow victory margin. Som Marandi, the BJP candidate, had garnered 27.8% of the vote.

The Rajmahal seat was won by the BJP in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. From this place, Devidhan Besra had prevailed. He received 26.5% of the total votes, followed by Hemlal Murmu of JMM 24.7 % and Thomas Hansda of Rashtriya Janata Dal 20.2%.

The Modi wave’s impact was ineffective

Surprising outcomes were obtained from the Rajmahal seat even after the 2014 Modi wave. The Rajmahal seat was transferred to the BJP in 2009, but it was transferred to JMM in 2014. In2014, Vijay Kumar Hansda emerged victorious in the race for the Rajmahal Lok Sabha seat. For this seat, JMM had garnered 29.9% of the vote. The Jharkhand seat of Rajmahal is one where the Modi wave’s influence did not materialize in either 2014 or 2019.

This was the location where JMM’s Vijay Kumar Hansda won in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 as well as in 2014. Vijay Kumar Hansda of JMM received 48.5% of the vote in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while Hemlal Murmu of the BJP received 39%. Tala Marandi has been given a ticket by the BJP this time around. It will be interesting to see if the BJP, led by Modi, is able to raise the victory flag from here this time.

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