Lok Sabha elections in Lohardaga have witnessed a dominant presence of both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Out of the 16 general elections held so far, the Congress has won seven times, the BJP six times, and other parties like Jharkhand Party, Independent candidates, and Janata Party have won once each.
Currently, BJP’s Sudarshan Bhagat has been winning the seat for three consecutive terms. However, his victories have not come easy as he has faced tough competition in every election. Before Sudarshan Bhagat, Congress’ Kartik Urwan served as the Member of Parliament for three terms, winning in 1967, 1971, and 1980. His wife, Sumati Urwan, also represented Congress in 1984 and 1989, while BJP’s Lalit Urwan won in 1991 and 1996. Sumati Urwan remains the only female MP from Lohardaga. The constituency has approximately 1.4 million voters, with 40% belonging to the tribal community, 16% being general category voters, and Muslim community voters.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, although BJP won the Lohardaga seat, it failed to secure victory in all five assembly seats that fall under the parliamentary constituency during the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly elections held in the same year. Currently, Congress holds three of these assembly seats, while JMM and BJP hold two each. From Lohardaga, Congress’ Dr. Rameshwar Urwan and Shilpi Neha Tirkey are MLAs, while JMM’s Bhushan Tirkey, Chamar Linda from Bishunpur, and Jiga Susharan Horo from Sisai are MLAs.
Sudarshan Bhagat’s path to victory in the Lok Sabha elections from Lohardaga is not expected to be easy this time. He has been a BJP MP for three consecutive terms, with a maximum margin of victory of 10,000 votes in each election. In 2019, he defeated Congress’ Sukhdev Bhagat by 10,363 votes. If the party grants Sudarshan Bhagat a ticket again, he is likely to face tough competition once more.
Overall, Lohardaga Lok Sabha constituency has seen a mix of winners from various parties over the years, with both Congress and BJP having a strong presence. The upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Lohardaga are expected to be closely contested once again.
लोहरदगा लोकसभा सीट पर अब तक हुए 16 बार के आम चुनाव में सात बार कांग्रेस और छह बार भाजपा का राज रहा है। वर्तमान में भाजपा के सांसद सुदर्शन भगत तीन टर्म से जीत रहे हैं, लेकिन हर बार उन्हें कांटे की टक्कर मिलती है। पिछले चुनावों में लोहरदगा की जनता ने दिखाया है कि उन्हें विधानसभा चुनावों में बदलाव करने की क्षमता है। अगले चुनाव में भी भाजपा के लिए जीत प्राप्त करना आसान नहीं होगा।
