Naba Charan Manjhi: BJP Candidate For Mayurbhanj Hails From President Murmu’s Home Turf

Naba Charan Manjhi is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Mayubhanj to run for the 18^th Lok Sabha elections. Naba Charan Manjhi won the Rairangpur assembly seat in the 2019 elections with over 60,000 votes. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has nominated the 5 times MLA Sudam Marndi and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) nominated sister of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Anajani Soren from Mayurbhanj constituency. The date of voting for the Mayubhank Lok Sabha constituency is May 25 (phase 6).

The low-profile leader is a graduate of Rairangpur College and an agriculturist by profession. He started his career with the BJP and served as the BJP, West Mayurbhanj Vice-President. Manjhi has one criminal case registered in his name. It is speculated that President, Droupadi Murmu played a key role in the selection of the candidate from the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat replacing the Union Minister Bhishweswar Tudu. Manjhi had worked closely with President Murmu while she was the vice-chairman of the Rairangpur assembly constituency.

Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency is comprised of 7 assembly regions including Jashipur, Saraskana, Rairangpur, Bangriposi, Udala, Baripada, and Morada. 5 out of 7 assembly seats were won by BJP and 2 by BJD in the last assembly elections.

In 2019, BJP candidate Bhishweswar Tudu won the parliamentary seat in the Mayurbhanj constituency. BJP secured 42.06% votes while Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured 39.86% votes. Since 1999, the Indian National Congress (INC) remained unsuccessful in securing a seat in the constituency.

Mayurbhanj is an ST category parliament seat with a literacy rate of 54.35%. The ST comprises a majority of the population with 58.7% in the constituency. The SC and Muslim population is 7.3% and 2.8% of its total population. The sex ratio (female/male ratio)  in the district is above 1. Economically the constituency is dependent on agriculture. It is one of the most backward districts and receives funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programmes (BRGF).