Lok Sabha elections: BJP list of 10 out, eight-time MP Karia Munda dropped

RANCHI: BJP on Saturday announced its candidates for 10 of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies it is contesting in Jharkhand . The total number of LS seats in the state is 14, one of which has been allotted to BJP’s ally Ajsu-P.


The most significant aspect of BJP’s list was dropping of Karia Munda, an eight-time MP from Khunti.

The 82-year-old leader has been replaced by much younger partyman and former chief minister Arjun Munda . Many describe this as an end of electoral politics for Karia, who first won Khunti in 1977.

A senior BJP leader said, “Age is the only reason why our party veteran was dropped. We now want him to guide us.” He added, “Our party is trying to drop all those who are beyond 75 years.” BJP’s sitting MP from Ranchi Ram Tahal Choudhary is more than 75 years old.

Karia told TOI, “What is there to feel good or bad about it? It’s a party decision and I welcome it. I would have fought if I was asked to. I am still a party worker at heart and I will help whoever contests in my place to win.”

BJP, however, did not specify when it will declare the names of nominees for the remaining three seats — Ranchi, Chatra and Koderma. Ajsu-P said it would name its canididate for Giridih , the lone seat it has got, on March 25. In stark contrast, the mahagathbandhan of Congress, JMM, JVM-P and RJD are still struggling to strike an acceptable seat-sharing deal.

Union civil aviation minister Jayant Sinha has been re-nominated from Hazaribag. His father and former Union minister Yashwant Sinha is one of BJP’s biggest critics. The other candidates are Nishikant Dubey (Godda), Pashupati Nath Singh (Dhanbad), Bidyut Baran Mahto (Jamshedpur), Laxman Gilua (Singhbhum), Sudarshan Bhagat (Lohardaga), V D Ram (Palamu), Sunil Soren (Dumka) and Hemlal Murmu (Rajmahal). Of these seats, Rajmahal, Dumka and Godda are in the Santhal Pargana, a JMM stronghold.

Barring Sunil and Hemlal, all the nominees are sitting MPs. In 2014, Sunil had lost to JMM Partiarch Shibu Soren and Hemlal to Vijay Hansda of the same party. BJP sources said the saffron party might replace the sitting candidates with new faces while naming nominees for Ranchi, Chatra and Koderma.

Arjun, who replaces Karia in Khunti, said, “My party has given me a new responsibility. I will prove it by winning Khunti so that we can bring PM Modi back to power.”