Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal United (JDU) is set to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on 16 seats in Bihar while being a part of the NDA alliance. However, despite being neighbors, JDU has never won a single Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand. In previous elections, JDU has fielded candidates on seats adjoining Bihar in Jharkhand but has faced disappointment every time.
When we look at the history of parliamentary elections, JDU has never been particularly influential in Jharkhand. Since the formation of Jharkhand, the party has contested parliamentary elections in 2004, 2009, and 2014. Despite fielding candidates on seats adjoining Bihar, like Palamu, Chatra, Giridih, Koderma, and Godda, the party not only faced decisive defeats but also saw a significant drop in vote share.
Better performance in Assembly elections
Compared to Lok Sabha elections, JDU has performed better in Assembly elections. In the 2005 state elections, the party won seats like Baghmara, Daltonganj, Chatra, Devghar, Mandu, and Tamad. However, the overall vote share remained low at just 4%. In 2009 and 2014 state elections, the party faced defeats on most seats and saw a decline in vote share.
JDU contested on three Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand
For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand, JDU’s state executive committee proposed candidates for Hazaribagh, Chatra, and Dhanbad. However, the BJP has not allocated any seats to JDU at present. The party’s Jharkhand state president, Kheeru Mahato, has highlighted the party’s organizational strength and the changing political landscape in the region.
2004 Elections
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, JDU contested on seats like Palamu, Chatra, Giridih, Godda, and Khunti. The party’s overall vote share was 3.8%, with a better performance seen only in Palamu. However, despite losing, the party secured the second position in Palamu. On other seats, the party stood at third or fourth place.
2009 Elections
In the 2009 elections, the party only contested in Palamu and Chatra but had disappointing performances. The party received a mere 1.2% of the total votes.
2014 Elections
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, JDU once again contested on seats like Palamu, Chatra, Giridih, Godda, and Koderma. However, the party’s candidates received only 0.7% of the total votes with unsatisfactory performances on all seats.
2019 Elections
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, JDU did not field any candidates on any seat. At that time, JDU was a part of the NDA alliance. Out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, BJP contested on 13 seats, and AJSU contested on one seat.
बिहार की जनता दल यूनाइटेड (जदयू) इस बार एनडीए में रहते हुए बिहार की 16 लोकसभा सीटों पर चुनाव लड़ने जा रही है, लेकिन झारखंड में जदयू ने कभी भी लोकसभा सीट नहीं जीती है। झारखंड में विधानसभा चुनावों में बेहतर प्रदर्शन करते हुए भी जदयू को लोकसभा चुनावों में कोई सफलता नहीं मिली है। झारखंड के तीन लोस सीटों पर भी जदयू ने दावेदारी की थी, लेकिन वह भी जीत नहीं सकी। इस बार भी झारखंड में जदयू के लिए चुनौती रहेगी।