Meet Irfan Ansari: Two-Time MLA and Congress Candidate for Jamtara. (Image: Instagram/irfan_ansari_inc)
Irfan Ansari will be contesting the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections from Jamtara constituency on a Congress ticket as the election is scheduled for November 13 and 20, which will see Ansari facing off against Sita Soren of the BJP. Irfan Ansari who is a seasoned politician and member of Congress has gone through a tumultuous career path. He was born in Jamtara as his entry into politics was paved by his father, Furqan Ansari who is a former Member of Legislative Assembly from Jamtara constituency. Irfan Ansari himself has been a two-time MLA from Jamtara winning elections in 2014 and 2019.
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Irfan Ansari‘s journey took a dramatic turn in July 2022 when he, along with two other Congress MLAs was arrested by Kolkata police on charges of conspiring to topple the Hemant Soren government. The allegations included accepting Rs 10 crore each and ministerial berths from the BJP. However, after spending three months in jail and battling suspension the Jharkhand High Court quashed the case in July 2023 which has been a way for his rehabilitation.
Irfan Ansari has also been vocal about his disagreements with his own party. As per the reports published in July, he accused some party members of misleading the high command as this wasn’t the first time Ansari had spoken out. In 2019, he downplayed the controversy surrounding 43 state-run schools changing their weekly holiday from Sunday to Friday, stating it was acceptable as the majority of students came from the Muslim community.
The Jamtara Assembly constituency in Jharkhand covers two main areas: Jamtara Police Station and Narayanpur Police Station. However, some villages under Jamtara Police Station are excluded including Karmatanr, Sahajpur, Pindari, Lakhanpur, Rataniya, Rampurbhitra and Kajra gram panchayats. This constituency falls under the Dumka Lok Sabha constituency. The Jamtara Assembly seat has had several representatives since 1995.
Previous MLAs in Jamtara Constituency:
1995: Furqan Ansari from the Indian National Congress (INC)
2000 and 2005: Bishnu Prased Bhaiya from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
2009: Shibu Soren from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)
2014: Irfan Ansari from the Indian National Congress (INC)
Congress party has announced the first list of 21 candidates for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly 2024 Elections. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced 66 candidates for the elections. They plan to contest 68 out of 81 seats, while their National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies will contest the remaining seats. The Jharkhand Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20 with the results scheduled for November 23, 2024.
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