Reserved for Scheduled Tribes, Congress’ Rameshwar Oraon is leading by 12026 in the Lohardaga seat against BJP Alliance party AJSU candidate Niru Shanti Bhagat.

Oraon won the seat in 2019 after defeating BJP’s Sukhdeo Bhagat. The tribal vote in this region is crucial, making this a key seat to watch.

Rameshwar Oraon is a prominent Indian politician with a rich background. He served as the chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes from 2010 to 2017.

Oraon’s political career is vast with roles such as Member of Parliament in the 14th Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs under Manmohan Singh, and president of the Jharkhand State Congress unit.

In the 2019 Jharkhand Legislative Assembly election, Oraon won from the Lohardaga Assembly constituency, defeating BJP’s Sukhdeo Bhagat and became a minister in the Jharkhand government. He was sworn in as Cabinet Minister in December 2019.

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However, in August 2023, Oraon’s son was linked to an alleged liquor scam, prompting raids by the Enforcement Directorate. Congress leaders denied the allegations, criticising the BJP government for the searches.

The counting of votes for the Jharkhand Assembly elections is progressing today on November 23, 2024. The main battle is between the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led INDIA alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for 81 seats altogether.

The main players are the JMM, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren contesting 41 seats. Key candidates include Hemant Soren, seeking re-election from Barhait against BJP’s Gamaliyan Hembrom, his wife Kalpana Soren from Gandey and his brother Basant Soren from Dumka.

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BJP is contesting 68 seats with key leaders including former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, who is running from Dhanwar and former Chief Minister Champai Soren, who joined the BJP earlier this year and is contesting from Seraikela constituency.