Ranchi: The Congress on Sunday announced fielding former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay's daughter Yashashwini from Ranchi and recalled the candidature of legislator Deepika Pandey Singh from Godda. The Central Election Committee of the Party has selected Yashashwini Sahay to contest from Ranchi seat while Pradeep Yadav will replace Deepika Pandey Singh in Godda, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said in a statement.
The grand old party on April 16 had announced the candidature of Deepika Pandey Singh, Krishna Nand Tripathi and Anupama Singh from Godda, Chatra and Dhanbad, respectively. It had also announced the names of three candidates - Kalicharan Munda, Sukhdeo Bhagat and Jai Prakashbhai Patel on March 27 for Khunti (ST), Lohardaga (ST) and Hazaribagh constituencies, respectively.
Pradeep Yadav will contest against sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, while Anupama Singh, the wife of Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal Singh, will fight BJP's Baghmara legislator Dulu Mahto. In Dhanbad, the saffron party had dropped sitting MP Pashupati Nath Singh, who has represented the seat since 2009, and fielded Mahato, against whom about two dozen criminal cases are lodged.
Mahato, who joined the BJP in 2014, had become an MLA in 2009 on a ticket of Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (JVM) of former chief minister Babulal Marandi. Tripathi will be contesting against BJP candidate Kalicharan Singh from the Chatra seat. As per the seat-sharing pact of the JMM-led alliance in the state, the Congress would contest seven seats and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha five. The RJD and CPI(ML) are contesting one seat each.
Jharkhand will vote for its 14 Lok Sabha seats in four phases, starting May 13. In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured 11 seats, while the AJSU Party, Congress, and JMM won one seat each in the state. The BJP has already announced candidates for 13 seats and left Giridih for the AJSU Party.
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