Jharkhand Agriculture Minister Badal Patralekh To Take On BJP's Devendra Kunwar In Jarmundi (Image:Instagram/badal_patralekh)

Badal Patralekh is a member of the Congress Party who was born on September 27, 1976, in Deoghar. He has been serving as the Minister for Agriculture in the Government of Jharkhand and is a member of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly since 2014. Patralekh held the office of Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Co-operative of Jharkhand from 2020  and he is currently contesting the 2024 Jharkhand Legislative Assembly Jarmundi general election against BJP’s Devendra Kunwar.

Badal Patralekh completed his 12th-standard education and ventured into politics being a member of the Congress Party. As the current state agriculture minister, Patralekh launched the Gaudhan Nyaya Yojana in 2023 which aimed at promoting organic farming and reducing farmers’ dependency on chemical fertilisers in Jharkhand. The scheme involves procuring cow dung from farmers converting it into vermicompost and selling it back to cultivators at subsidized rates. The government planned to set up 572 vermicompost units in five districts with the Organic Farming Authority of Jharkhand (OFAJ) as the nodal agency.

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Patralekh also faced charges related to being a member of an unlawful assembly (IPC Section-143) assault or criminal force to deter public servants, mischief causing damage and abetting offences. In the Hemanth Soren government in Jharkhand, Patralekh is preparing to compete against BJP ‘s strong candidate Devendra Kunwar and Rajeev Yadav, who is a candidate of  Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) with the election scheduled to take place on November 30, 2024, and results expected on December 23, 2024.

Badal Patralekh secured 52,507 votes, accounting for 32.22% of the total votes cast in the 2019 general assembly election marking a 3.40% increase from his previous tally. The Jarmundi Assembly constituency consists of Jarmundi Police Station in Dumka district and Sarawan Police Station in Deoghar district and is part of the Godda Lok Sabha constituency.

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