JMM questions ECI's independence ahead of Jharkhand poll announcement

Ahead of today's announcement of the Jharkhand Assembly elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Tuesday alleged that the Election Commission is not acting independently and is under pressure from the BJP.

In Ranchi, JMM leader Manoj Pandey expressed his worries, said, "The election is to be announced today, but BJP leaders got information about it yesterday. This is a very serious matter. Does the commission work at the behest of BJP leaders? It is a serious matter to keep the commission as a puppet."

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha tweeted via its official X handle, "The boss has set everything up. What a scene! @ECISVEEP, will you say something?"

This statement comes as the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to announce the dates for the Jharkhand Assembly elections today.

Pandey also emphasised that the JMM is always prepared for elections. "Well, we are always in election mode because we work for the public interest. Our commitment translates into action through public service, which you will see as an exemplary model of politics under the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand. So, we are always ready for elections," Pandey added.

He mentioned that a formal meeting of the INDIA alliance will take place, and details will be clarified afterwards. "There are still 2-3 seats on which there will be talks, and then the announcement will be made," he noted. Regarding the alliance's preparations, Pandey stated that while discussions are ongoing, they may not have been shared with the media yet.

When asked how the JMM will fulfil the increase in the Women's General Scheme, Pandey said," The country is being lied to about transferring fifteen lakhs into accounts, about bullet trains, smart cities, and so many dreams that have been shown by these people. The Hemant Soren government is proving this. We have provided one thousand as a maternal honorarium, and they went to court to stop it. Now, we have increased it to twenty-five hundred. In addition, we will take one lakh thirty-six thousand crore rupees from the central government; we will fight for it, and this amount will be increased further"

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur criticised the Election Commission's timing for the elections. "When the due date for elections in Haryana was November 3 and in Maharashtra November 26, why did you not hold both of them together? When you ignore us, we feel that you make such announcements for political reasons or under the influence of a particular party", Thakur said.

On the other hand, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, "BJP and NDA are fully prepared for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections. We are confident that, like Haryana, Maharashtra will vote for a pro-incumbency government led by the BJP. The people of Jharkhand are frustrated because of the vote bank and corrupt politics of Hemant Soren, and they are eager to vote for a pro-development, pro-tribal government under the BJP.