Stakes high for Hemant Soren, Babulal Marandi as Jharkhand votes in final phase today | India News – Times of India
RANCHI: The political fortunes of Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and state BJP president Babulal Marandi will be decided on Wednesday as more than 1.23 crore voters across 12 districts, including the tribal heartland of Santhal Pargana and the coal belt of Dhanbad, are set to cast their votes in the second and final phase of the state assembly elections.A total of 528 candidates - 472 men, 55 women, and one candidate from the transgender community - are contesting for 38 assembly seats.Among the prominent contestants are CM Soren, BJP's Marandi, Gandey MLA and Soren's wife, Kalpana Murmu Soren, former minister Basant Soren, AJSU-P president Sudesh Kumar Mahto, leader of the opposition Amar Kumar Bauri, key ministers such as Dipika Pandey Singh, Bebi Devi, Hafizul Hassan, and speaker...