The 81-member Jharkhand Assembly is set to go for a five-phase election from November 30 to December 20. The counting of votes will take place on December 23.
AJSU, the ruling NDA constituent, named 12 of its candidates on Monday and said that the final list of the candidates will be announced on Tuesday for the upcoming state Assembly elections.
The party spokesperson Deosharan Bhagat said, "Party supremo, Sudesh Mahto will contest from Silli, Sunita Chaudhary wife of Giridih MP, Chandraprakash Chaudhary will contest from Ramgarh, MLA from Husainabad Kushwaha Sheopujan Mehta to contest from same seat, Lambodar Mahto to be the party candidate from Gomia, Roshanlal Chaudhary, former AJSU Party candidate from Barkagaon to contest from same seat."
Sahis will contest from Jugsalai seat, Manoj Chandra is candidate from Simaria, Sadanand Mahto to be contest from Sindari and Ramlal Munda will be candidate from Chakradharpur, Bhagat added.
On the other hand, BJP has also announced its candidates for Simaria, Chakardharpur and Sindri in its first list of 52 candidates on Sunday. The party has decided to filed Chief Minister Raghuvar Das from Jamshedpur East.
In the 2014 Assembly elections, BJP had contested from 72 seats and had won 37 seats, whereas AJSU from eight seats but could win five seats.
In a move to settle the alliance, AJSU president Sudesh Mahto had met BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi on Sunday late night. Mahto had informed Shah about the party point of view.
"Not only seat sharing there are some issues which needs to be addressed. We have shared our point of view with BJP president" said Mahto after the meeting.
BJP is likely to come with second list of the candidates on Tuesday. In the first list, the party had preferred to avoid on disputed seats with AJSU.
With the announcement of its candidates by the AJSU, BJP is likely to field its candidates from Chandankyrai and LOhardagga.
"Now there is least chance of alliance with AJSU. The state and central leadership are now not in contact with AJSU. Party may announce second list by Tuesday evening" said a source in BJP to .
Interestingly, this development comes in the backdrop of the ugly spat between the Shiv Sena and BJP that followed with its minister Arvind Sawant resigning from the union cabinet on Monday and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray dialling Congress's interim chief Sonia Gandhi seeking support.
As in Maharashtra, in Jharkhand too, the matter boiled down to an ego issue with both sides hardening their stand and refusing any negotiation.
November 13 is the last day for filing nominations for the first phase of polling in Jharkhand election. With one day left, will the BJP-AJSU be able sort it out or will the saffron party, as it is tipped, brazen it out and challenge AJSU by releasing another list of candidates, taking it to a point of no return?
( With inputs from IANS )