Khunti Lok Sabha constituency: Candidates for 2019 LS poll, past results, all updates

Khunti, the land of tribal icon Birsa Munda is an ST-reserved seat. All the assembly segments under Khunti Kharsawan, Tamar, Topa, Khunti, Kolebira and Simdega are also reserved for Scheduled Tribes. BJP won the seat in canter in 2014 when Kariya Munda defeated JKP candidate by over 92 thousand votes. 

This time though BJP hasn't given the ticket to eight-time MP Kariya Munda owing to his advanced age. It has given the nomination to another heavyweight leader, former CM Arjun Munda who is squaring off against Congress' Kalicharan Munda, who fought unsuccessfully in 2014. Interestingly, his brother is a minister in the BJP state government led by Raghubar Das. Congress which is in alliance with JMM and JVM-P will be hoping to put up a stern test to dominant BJP. 

Khunti which is one of the backward constituencies of the state which has also seen its fair share of Maoist violence. The proposed changes in landholding rules lead to Pathalgadi movement with Khunti as epicentre. It got crushed by the state government but voices of dissent remain. Arjun Munda at that time had expressed sympathy towards the protesters. Will the silent constituents get BJP off the perch when they cast their votes on May 6. In the past, BJP has won the seat seven times and Congress four times, the latest being in 2004. 

Polling for 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand is being held in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh phases of polling - on April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 - respectively. BJP won 12 out of the 14 seats in 2014, JMM got the remaining 2. Counting is on May 23.