As the first phase of the Jharkhand Assembly election for 43 seats concluded on Wednesday, the voter turnout stood at 64.86 per cent till 5 pm. The BJP-led NDA is looking to oust the JMM-led coalition in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that infiltration remains the biggest issue in Jharkhand.

The 43 seats where election is being held, are primarily located in the tribal-dominated South Chotanagpur, northern Palamu and Kolhan regions. Among the seats voting today, 20 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and six for Scheduled Castes (SCs). Furthermore, Two of the seats, namely,  Chatra and Simaria are located in the state’s most backward district, also called Chatra. 

The BJP has offered 25 promises as part of its Sankalp Patra, addressing a range of issues such as infiltration, Uniform Civil Code, and the INDIA bloc has underlined seven guarantees in the fields of education, domicile policy, social justice, food, Maiyya Samman Yojna, jobs, and farmers welfare, replicating its model in Karnataka and Telangana.

While the BJP assured that the tribal identity will be fully preserved even though the party plans to implement the UCC in the state, the INDIA bloc has relied on the social justice plank, promising 28% reservation for tribals; 12% for Dalits and 27% for OBCs, alongside protection of the interests of the minorities in the state.

Meanwhile, in one of the major contests, former chief minister and  BJP candidate Champai Soren is contesting against JMM rival Ganesh Mahali in the Seraikela seat. Champai Soren’s son Babulal Soren has been fielded by the saffron party in Ghatsila, against JMM candidate and Jharkhand Cabinet minister Ram Das Soren. Former Congress CM Madhu Koda’s wife, former MP Geeta Koda, will be contesting on a BJP ticket against sitting Congress MLA Sona Ram Sinku in Jaganathpur. Former BJP CM and ex-Union minister Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda is in the fray against sitting MLA Sanjib Sardar in Potka.

The second phase of the Jharkhand Assembly Election will take place on November 20. The results for the election will be declared on November 23.

As Delhi continues to choke with hazardous air pollution, the BJP on Wednesday demanded the AAP government to urgently close all schools up to Class 5. They also slammed the Delhi government for allowing the city to devolve into a gas chamber.

In a press conference, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that both private and government schools should be shut down for the safety of children, given the alarming level of air pollution in the national capital and its adjoining regions.

He added that children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution. He also pointed out the lack of government clinics providing essential treatments to mitigate these dangers.

The Delhi BJP President emphasised that the AAP government has utterly failed to manage pollution levels in the national capital, mentioning that PM 2.5 concentrations have soared beyond 400 and PM 10 levels exceeded 1,000. Virendra Sachdeva said that Delhi is now a gas chamber where people are choking and suffering from respiratory issues.

Delhi saw its first dense fog of the season on Wednesday, with air quality recorded as very poor. As per the real-time data from the Central Pollution Board (CPCB), the air quality index has surged to 366. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that the pollution had reduced visibility to 100 metres (328 feet) in some places by around 8 a.m. It said the city’s temperature dropped to 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday morning from 17.9 C on Tuesday and may fall further as sunlight remains cut off due to the smog.

Notably, the second stage of Graded Response Action Plan remains in force in the national capital, which entails mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling on identified roads, and implementation of dust control measures at construction and demolition sites.

In a scathing attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged that the Jharkhand  government had allowed infiltrators to grab land and abuse tribal women. He was addressing a public rally in election bound Jharkhand’s Deoghar.

While addressing people at Deoghar’s Sarath, the Prime Minister said that wherever he has travelled in Jharkhand, the biggest worry has been about infiltration. He pointed out that as per the data available, the tribal population in Santhal has reduced to half, adding that they have to protect the tribal families and every Jharkhandi from this.

PM Modi stated that there is a huge conspiracy being done to change the identity of Jharkhand. He alleged that under JMM-Congress, every wrong thing was done to make these infiltrators permanent residents in the state. He added that these infiltrators snatched residents’ jobs and roti. 

He further mentioned that the JMM government said in court that there has been infiltration in the state. Highlighting that the protection of daughters and land is the biggest issue in this election, PM Modi assured you that BJP will protect them.

Furthermore, he also claimed that the Congress leaders abuse women, underlining that the party made many objectionable words against Sita Soren. He added that the Congress knows nothing will happen to them as they have protection from the JMM govt. 

Echoing his claim that Congress was trying to divide people on the basis of caste, PM Modi said that when the BJP decided to make a tribal daughter the President of India, Congress tried its best to defeat her, and even today they insult her. He said that Congress has dangerous intentions. Apparently referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said that Congress ka shehzada has made it clear that they want to end reservation for SC/ST & OBC.

Meanwhile, voting for the Jharkhand assembly elections phase 1 is underway in 43 of the state’s 81 seats across 15 districts. The second phase of voting will take place on November 20, and the results will be declared on November 23.