Dhanwar: Babulal Marandi, ex-Chief Minister of Jharkhand, is leading over his rival Nizam Uddin Ansari of JMM by 25,103 votes, early trends showed. Dhanwar, a key Assembly constituency in Jharkhand, is set to witness a tough fight. Dhanwar, located in the Giridih district of Jharkhand, has traditionally been a fortress of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, in recent elections, the seat has seen a shift in voting patterns. The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) (JVM(P) has made significant inroads here, challenging the BJP’s dominance.
Babulal Marandi, ex-Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a senior leader of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), is contesting the Dhanwar seat again. Raj Kumar Yadav, representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML)L), is also in the race.
Rajdesh Ratan is contesting on behalf of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Congress Morcha (JLKM). While his presence in the contest is notable, it is expected that he will primarily play a role in splitting the vote share, especially among the non-BJP voters.
Electorate size
The total electorate in Dhanwar is 3,07,716 voters, consisting of a relatively balanced mix of male and female voters. The voters in this constituency come from diverse backgrounds, including tribal communities, backward classes, and a significant number of upper-caste voters. Dhanwar witnessed 62.5% polling this year.
Who won last time?
In the 2019 Assembly elections, Babulal Marandi won the seat with 52,352 votes, securing a lead of around 18,000 votes over BJP’s Laxman Prasad Singh who received 34,802 votes. Raj Kumar Yadav from CPI(ML)L came third with 32,245 votes.
