"Battle for Jharkhand: 52 Candidates Vie for 3 Crucial Lok Sabha Seats on June 1"

Fifty-two candidates are contesting for three Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand which will hold elections on June 1. The nomination process saw only three withdrawals, with 19 candidates in Dumka and Godda each, and 14 in Rajmahal. Across all fourteen seats, there are 244 candidates. Comparatively, the 2014 and 2019 elections had 240 and 229 contestants respectively. Items and cash worth over Rs 116 crore have been seized statewide since the elections were announced.

Fifty-two candidates are in the fray for the three Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand that will go to polls on June 1, an official said on Friday after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended.

The nomination process for Rajmahal (ST), Dumka (ST), and Godda constituencies began on May 7, with only three candidates withdrawing from the contest.

Chief electoral officer K Ravi Kumar said 19 candidates each are in the fray in Dumka and Godda, while 14 nominees are contesting from Rajmahal.

''A total of 244 candidates — 212 men, 31 women and 1 transgender — are in the fray in all the 14 Lok Sabha seats,'' he said.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, there were 240 aspirants and in 2019, there were 229 contestants, he added. Items and cash worth more than Rs 116 crore have been seized across the state after the elections were announced, he said.