The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Thursday decided to field Anjani Soren as the party’s candidate from Odisha's Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming 2024 elections.
With this, the fight between the ruling BJD, Opposition BJP and JMM is going to be an intense one, sources said.
Anjani will lock horns with BJP’s Naba Charan Majhi and BJD’s Sudam Marndi. Interestingly, Marndi was once at the helm of the affairs as far as the functioning of JMM in Odisha is concerned.
JMM’s Odisha unit spokesperson Shivaji Moulik has recently announced that Anjani will be given a ticket from the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat and it has been decided in the party meeting under the chairmanship of Jharkhand CM Champai Soren.
“JMM will officially announce the candidature of Anjani soon following a discussion with the Congress and other parties who are part of the INDIA bloc,” said Moulik.
Anjani, who will contest from the seat for the second time, is expected to give a tough fight to BJD and BJP in the upcoming election. She is currently the president of JMM’s Odisha unit. She has been actively involved in the expansion of the JMM in Odisha’s northern part.
Anjani is the wife of late Debananda Marndi, a resident of Ghadadega in Mayurbhanj district. As per Anjani’s 2019 nomination paper, she passed the Intermediate of Arts in 2009.
Anjani had finished third in the last General Elections in Mayurbhanj and got 11.78 % of the total vote share.
While BJP’s Bishweswar Tudu emerged as the winner with 42.1% votes, the ruling BJD finished second.
The JMM had a strong base in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts, which share borders with Jharkhand, in the early 2000s.
Anjani has been actively involved in politics in the northern part of the State. She is expected to improve her performance this time.