Jharkhand Assembly Polls 2024: JMM-led coalition to retain power, says Lalu Prasad

Patna: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on Friday claimed that the JMM-led coalition would retain power in Jharkhand as it was "set to win" the assembly elections with a "comfortable margin".

The veteran politician, who is in his seventies, said he would campaign for I.N.D.I.A bloc and RJD candidates in Jharkhand.

Talking to reporters here Prasad said, “The RJD will win all seats where the party is contesting in Jharkhand. We (JMM-led coalition) will once again form the government there as our alliance will win elections with a comfortable margin." When asked by journalists whether he would campaign for INDIA bloc candidates in Jharkhand or not, Prasad said,

“Yes...I will soon go to Jharkhand for campaign. Tejashwi (Yadav) is already campaigning there." Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly will take place in two phases on November 13 and 20.

Counting is scheduled for November 23.

The RJD supremo slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for allegedly maintaining silence over the controversial statement by BJP’s Araria MP Pradeep Kumar Singh.

“Are they (BJP MP and his leaders) Hindus…they all are hypocrites. Nitish Kumar never speaks on such things," the RJD leader said.

It may be recalled that addressing a gathering in Araria recently, Singh had said, “What shame in calling yourself a Hindu ? If one has to live in Araria, he has to become Hindu”.

This statement of the BJP MP sparked controversy.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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