RANCHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a mega roadshow of about five km after addressing election rallies at Chandnkiyari in Bokaro and Gumla on November 10. This will mark his second visit to Jharkhand as the BJP seeks to consolidate its position in the state. First phase of polls is scheduled to take place on November 13 and second phase will be held on November 20, while the counting of votes will take place on November 23.
Modi’s road show is expected to start at OTC Ground, proceeding to New Market Chowk in Ranchi—an area regarded as a stronghold of the BJP. The location carries political significance, being the constituency of Union Minister of State for Defence and Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, as well as six-time Ranchi MLA CP Singh. The state administration has launched an extensive security operation, mapping all significant points and high-rise buildings along the route.
This will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Chandankiyari, with Modi rallying support for BJP candidate and Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Amar Kumar Bauri. Chandankiyari has long been a contested seat, witnessing friction between the BJP and its former ally AJSU Party.
Following a reallocation, the seat was retained by the BJP. Former Chandankiyari MLA and ex-minister Umakant Rajak’s recent defection from AJSU to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has further reshuffled the region’s political dynamics. Gumla on the other hand, is a critical constituency where former Union Minister Sudarshan Bhagat is contesting for the BJP. In the 2019 elections, the JMM secured Gumla and other nearby constituencies, prompting the BJP to rethink its strategy in tribal regions.
Ahead of the visit of Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also visit Jharkhand on November 9 and will address three election rallies at Chhatarpur, Hazaribagh and Potka. Rahul Gandhi, however, will be visiting Jharkhand first time after the Assembly polls were declared and will address election rallies on November 8 and 9.
Boycott state polls, says PLFI
Registering their presence in Jharkhand after a long time, the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), an offshoot of CPI (Maoist), have put up posters near Ranchi and Khunti calling for a boycott of Assembly polls in Jharkhand. Challenging the police and the administration, the PLFI has put up posters. They were released by PLFI’s central panel, and claimed the government has failed to serve the people and urged citizens to ‘destroy rule of police admin.’