Infiltration pitch falls flat, BJP wins 1 seat in Santhal Pargana

THE BJP amped its Jharkhand poll campaign pitch raising Bangladeshi infiltrations and demographic change in Santhal Pargana, but failed to make inroads into the region.

- MUKESH RANJAN

The party won only one seat out of the 18 in Santhal Pargana. The JMM retained its dominance in the region by winning 11 seats. The Congress won four seats and RJD two, according to the results announced by the Election Commission.

Santhal Pargana is considered the key to power in Jharkhand. Out of the 18 seats in the region, seven are reserved for STs, one for SCs, and 10 are general.

In the 2019 assembly polls, the JMM won nine seats, Congress four and the BJP four. Later, Pradeep Yadav, who won Poraiyahat seat on a JVM ticket, joined Congress. In 2014, the JMM bagged 11 seats, Congress four, RJD two and the BJP one.