Jharkhand polls: Congress candidate from Hazaribagh Munna Singh appeals people to vote to bring development and prosperity

Hazaribagh (Jharkhand) [India], November 13 (ANI): As voting is underway for the first phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections, Congress candidate from Hazaribagh Assembly seat Munna Singh appealed people to vote to bring development and prosperity in the city.
Munna Singh said, "I request all voters of Hazaribagh to vote to bring development and prosperity in Hazaribagh."
Munna Singh, a Rajput candidate is fired up for the contest and confident in his chances against both the BJP and the rebel candidate.
Hazaribagh assembly constituency is witnessing a thrilling contest, with internal revolt within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) making the contest a triangular one.
The BJP fielded Pradeep Prasad as its candidate for this seat, while the Congress fielded Munna Singh. Harsh Ajmera, a young former BJP leader, expressed his dissatisfaction with the party's ticket distribution and decided to file his nomination as an independent candidate.
Harsh Ajmera, a youth leader with a strong following among young voters in Hazaribagh, claimed that the BJP had made a wrong decision by giving the ticket to someone with a tainted image of being involved in land mafia activities. He said, "It is the need of the people to have a better representative, and that's why I am contesting as an independent."
After Manish Jaiswal's election to the Lok Sabha, this assembly seat became vacant, and both the BJP and Congress fielded new candidates. Both parties are confident about their chances of winning the seat.
Earlier Pradeep Prasad, BJP's candidate, stated, "This seat is our stronghold, and we will retain it. After Yogi Adityanath's public rally in Hazaribagh, the atmosphere shifted in our favour. The people of Jharkhand are fed up with the JMM-Congress alliance government. In this election, the people of Jharkhand will vote for the BJP, and we will form a strong government here." He also raised the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration and demographic change in the state, adding, "If we come to power, we will remove these infiltrations from the state."
The Hazaribagh seat is a stronghold of OBCs, with a large number of Muslim voters who are expected to play a decisive role in this election. This seat has traditionally been dominated by the BJP, with Manish Jaiswal winning in both the 2014 and 2019 assembly elections.
However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party gave the ticket to Manish Jaiswal, and he won the seat. After that, the BJP faced difficulty in finding the right candidate for the assembly seat.
Voting for the first phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections began on Wednesday morning, with voting taking place in 43 out of the state's 81 seats.
The polling for Jharkhand's first phase began at around 7:00 am, with voters across 43 constituencies in 15 districts casting their ballots. The results will determine the fate of 683 candidates, including 73 women.
Ahead of the polling, mock voting was conducted at various polling stations in Jharkhand. Visuals showed long queues of voters, including women, waiting to cast their votes.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for polling, which will continue until 5.00 pm. It will end at 4.00 pm at 950 sensitive booths spread across 31 constituencies. Over 200 companies of security forces have been deployed at strategic locations to maintain order and safeguard the electoral process.
The BJP-led NDA is aiming to unseat the JMM-led coalition, with key candidates such as former Chief Minister Champai Soren and Congress leader Ajoy Kumar in the fray.
Counting of votes is scheduled for November 23. (ANI)