Jharkhand: Tala Marandi, BJP Candidate From Rajmahal Constituency (image-facebook/tala marandi )

Amid speculation that BJP would replace many of the old faces in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party has decided to go with the old faces in Jharkhand. The party has fielded BJP former President Tala Marandi as its candidate in Rajmahal seat by replacing Hemlal Murmu.

BJP has announced 11 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand in its first Lok Sabha candidate list. Tala Marandi had to lose his position within months after being the BJP chief after his son, Munna Marandi, landed in controversy for sexually exploiting a girl for over 2 years and then marrying another minor (11-year-old). However, Tala returned to the party after two and a half years.

Marandi hails from Bada Itahiri village of Barijore police station area in Godda. He is a commerce graduate from Bhagalpur University. He served as a social worker before being active in politics. He initially became politically active by being with Congress. He contested the 2000 assembly election on a Congress ticket.

Tala joined BJP in the year 2003 and after winning the 2005 assembly election, he was elected as the MLA. But in 2009, he was unable to retain the seat.

In the 2014 assembly election, Tala Marandi won against the JMM candidate Lobin Hembrom by securing 57,565 votes. But was unable to hold on to the seat in the 2019 assembly election. Tala Marandi contested the election under the banner of AJSU.

The party hopper began his political career during his student days. He was an active member of AJSU and later decided to join Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

Before joining BJP, he left JMM following a bribery scandal during the tenure of then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and joined Congress. Though he has contested election twice in Congress ticket, he was unable to win any seat.