The Jamshedpur Lok Sabha constituency, one of the 14 parliamentary constituencies in Jharkhand state, is a general category seat encompassing the entire East Singhbhum district. It includes six Legislative Assembly segments: Baharagora, Ghatshila (ST), Potka (ST), Jugashlai (SC), Jamshedpur East, and Jamshedpur West. The constituency serves as both an industrial hub and a cultural melting pot, housing diverse tribal communities, each with its own rich cultural heritage. Jamshedpur, also known as Tatanagar, is renowned as the “steel city of India” due to the presence of Tata Steel, one of the country’s oldest and largest steel plants, making it a significant industrial centre. Voting for the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat will take place in the sixth phase on May 25. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
Current MP: Bidyut Baran Mahato of BJP since 2014, Ajoy Kumar of JVM (2011)
Candidates: Bidyut Baran Mahato (BJP), Samir Kumar Mohanty (JMM)
Political Dynamics
BJP in Pole Position
Jamshedpur constituency is a prestigious seat in Jharkhand, home to Tata group. An important trend in this constituency is that no MP has been able to serve more than two consecutive terms, which is a challenge for the BJP. However, to its credit, the party has an upper hand in Jamshedpur as far as Lok Sabha elections are concerned.
The BJP has nominated sitting MP Bidyut Baran Mahato for a third term in Jamshedpur. Mahato is a popular face in the constituency having bagged the seat twice with massive margins. In 2014, he won by margin of almost 1 lakh votes and a vote share of almost 45 per cent. This was raised in 2019, when he bagged the seat with a huge margin of over 3 lakh votes and a vote share of 59.4 per cent. There have been reports that multiple other contenders for the ticket are dissatisfied with the decision to go ahead with him, including former MLA Kunal Sarangi, who has reportedly backed out of the campaign and may cause a loss of the sizeable Odiya vote to the BJP.
Mahato is a former MLA from the Baharagora constituency between 2009 and 2014 when he was in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. He is known to be an accessible grassroots leader who has focused his energies on rural areas this election campaign where he is seeking the vote of the Adivasi community which forms roughly 27% of the electorate. Meanwhile, the Kurmi-Mahato vote is a stronghold of this Mahato leader. Jamshedpur has about 3 lakh Kurmi-Mahato votes in this constituency, who lean overwhelmingly towards the BJP. Moreover, despite challenges, Mahato sits on a comfortable cushion of a 3-lakh vote lead from 2019.
The arrest of former chief minister Hemant Soren has been turned into a key election issue by the JMM, which is accusing the BJP of vendetta politics, appealing to the sentiments of the tribal community. In order to arrest a transfer of tribal votes entirely into the INDIA bloc’s kitty, the BJP has been campaigning aggressively in rural areas. PM Modi’s visit to this constituency is also focused on tribal dominated Ghatshila area rather than the urban areas of Jamshedpur where the party already has tremendous support this election.
The Modi factor is undeniably a major vote magnet in Jamshedpur. With massive support in urban areas over matters such as Ram Mandir construction, Hindutva politics, development and so on, the party has also raked up support in rural areas where schemes such as Garib Kalyan Yojana which ensures free ration, Awas Yojana which involves cash doles for the construction of pucca houses, have worked their wonders.
There is a major demand for an airport in Jamshedpur’s Dhalbhumgarh region which had been caught in a deadlock for years over disagreements between the centre and the state government. Mahato is said to have played a major role in breaking the deadlock when New Delhi and Ranchi agreed in principle on the revival of Dhalbhumgarh airport project which is set to cost Rs 300 crore, and the state government allotted a section of forest land for the development. When operational, the Dhalbhumgarh airport will benefit the residents of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand’s industrial capital, as well as those in the West Singhbhum mining belt. Additionally, it will serve people in Odisha and West Bengal. However, the longstanding demand has made voters impatient, which may turn into a challenge for Mahato.
JMM’s Strong Challenge
In 2019, the JMM had fielded current Chief Minister Champai Soren from the constituency who bagged a vote share of 33% losing to the BJP which had over 59.4% of votes. This time around, the JMM has chosen former MLA Samir Kumar Mohanty to contest from the Lok Sabha seat of Jamshedpur. Mohanty is an MLA from the Bharagora assembly segment, having defeated Kunal Sarangi in 2019 by a huge margin. Mohanty will be bolstered by the JMM’s alliance with the Congress under the INDIA bloc, however to a limited extent.
Mohanty is a well-known face in his assembly constituency and may be an appealing option for a large number of Odiya voters, especially as Kunal Sarangi sits out the BJP’s election campaign, stirring a sense the Odiya community has been snubbed by the BJP.
Moreover, owing to growing sympathy for Hemant Soren among Adivasi voters, the JMM-Congress alliance is hoping to bag the bulk of the Adivasi vote. Muslims, who form over 11% of the total vote share are expected to lean en-masse in favour of the INDIA bloc. A major portion of the Christian vote will also fall into the JMM’s kitty. Meanwhile, voters from the Sikh minority are also expected to shift towards the INDIA alliance this time. However, despite these advantages, it is difficult to say that Mohanty will be able to match up to the BJP’s vote share, putting to question the alliance’s winnability in Lok Sabha elections.
While the INDIA bloc is well-placed in the legislative assembly, with four seats under the JMM, one under the Congress and one under independent Saryu Roy who has also thrown his weight behind the bloc, the general trend being sense on the ground is that the electorate largely favours the Modi factor and the BJP when it comes to selecting its prime minister and central government.
Key Issues
International Airport
The Dhalbhumgarh airport was promised to the people of Jamshedpur, however a dispute between the central and state government has led to delays. In January 2019, the Jharkhand government and the Airport Authority of India signed an MOU to build a new airport, with an initial budget of Rs 100 crore out of a total of Rs 300 crore. However, land acquisition issues, particularly those related to an elephant corridor, stalled the project, leading the Central Aviation Department to return the proposal. On February 27, 2023, Union Civil Aviation and Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia rejected the proposal to build the airport. The deadlock was resolved on April 24th when the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in Jharkhand gave the green light for the project, sending the necessary documentation to the Forest Environment and Climate Change Department of the government.
Water problem
For the past fifteen days, the residents of Dimna colony in Mango have been without water, forcing them to carry water from Dimna Lake, five kilometres away. This has greatly impacted the lives of the residents, most of whom are daily wage earners. A water tanker that was expected to arrive Thursday morning failed to appear, leading frustrated residents to protest in the streets. The water shortage began after a water pump motor in Dimna Basti burned out, interrupting the water supply. While the Mango Municipal Corporation responded by deploying water tankers to the affected areas, Dimna colony has yet to receive any water. Due to increase in demand during the summers, the water infrastructure generally breaks down, which leads to no water supply in some areas for days and sometimes weeks.
Traffic congestion
Jamshedpur’s traffic system is struggling to keep up with the rising number of vehicles on the road. Between the 2018-2019 and 2023-2024 financial years, over 327,860 new vehicles were registered, including 304,337 private vehicles. From April to October of 2023-2024 alone, 4,355 new commercial vehicles and 31,850 new non-commercial vehicles (including 26,404 two-wheelers) were added. While about five kilometres of road were widened in the past two years, the closure of four main roads and stalled infrastructure projects, such as Tata Steel’s Eastern and Western Corridor plans, have further exacerbated the traffic situation. Unfinished road construction projects, including the road from NML Chowk to Bhilaipahari, Hurlung to Galudih, and Govindpur, continue to contribute to the city’s traffic challenges.
Welfare schemes
The welfare schemes in Jamshedpur have been accepted widely and they have been implemented. 22,000 houses have been built under the PM Awas Yojana. The only centre scheme which has not reached the people has been the Jal Jeevan mission due to which the water issues in the region persist. While the people in the region have received the benefits, the persistence of the water crisis has disappointed the people.
Pollution
Pollution is a major source of inconvenience to the people. Especially as the dust particles in the region contain a heavy concentration of toxic metals. The state capital does not have any government-operated continuous air quality monitoring system, which means there is no baseline information. According to experts the toxic metals concentration in the dust has yet not reached cancerous levels but, it poses a high health risk.
Encroachment
Encroachment in the city is a major issue and people believe that it is one of the major reasons that the city is losing its charm. The uncontrolled encroachment of footpaths and streets by vendors around the city, and illegal parking especially by the autos has become a nuisance and adds to the traffic congestion.
Infrastructure Development
Railway Station
The Jamshedpur railway station is undergoing a massive transformation. The work started in April and will cost the exchequer Rs 450 crore. It will be a model station and will be equipped with airport-like facilities. The new station will have escalators on all five platforms for the ‘divyang’ people to reach the foot-over bridge (FOB). There will be battery-operated vehicles to cater to the divyang and elderly people. All the platforms will be equipped with pink toilets and sanitary pads vending machines.
Railway Infrastructure
A third railway line was commissioned between Sini and Gamharia, spanning 16.5 kilometres and costing Rs 149.21 crore. Another 6.5 kilometre stretch of third line was added between Gamharia and Adityapur at a cost of Rs 5.78 crore. In addition to the new lines, several passenger amenities were added or improved at Jamshedpur-area railway stations. Tatanagar station received mechanised laundry facilities, a new Passenger Reservation System building, renovated circulating areas, two escalators, and 150 new LED lights for the platforms. Asanboni station also received new LED platform lighting. Platform surfaces were improved at Tatanagar, and a limited height subway was added at Level Crossing No. 163. Circulating areas were also improved at both Chakulkila and Ghatsila stations. Several platforms at Chakulkila and Raka Mines stations were extended, raised, and resurfaced. Finally, platforms 4 & 5 at Ghatsila station were raised.
500-bed Hospital
A 500 bed state-of-the-art hospital is currently under construction in the MGM medical college. The MGM college caters to the health needs of the three districts in the Kolhan division.
Jamshedpur-Mahulta road
A 44-km stretch between Jamshedpur and Mahulta on National Highway-33, was constructed at a cost of Rs 465 crore. The project will also drive commercial development in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
Double-Decker elevated corridor
A double decker elevated corridor has been proposed on NH-33, connecting Kali Mandi, Dimna Chowk and Baliguma in Jamshedpur, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,876 crore. The foundation stone was laid by Gadkari in March last year.
Jamshedpur Mango flyover
Tata Steel has granted its approval to build the flyover between Sakchi and Mango. The flyover will be constructed at a cost of Rs 475 crores and will boast a length of 4.02 kilometre. It will help ease the traffic congestions in the region.
Demographics
SC: 167,349 (9.6%)
ST: 467,183 (26.8%)
Urban Voters: 789,679 (45.3%)
Rural Voters: 953,542 (54.7%)
Hindu: 86.4%
Muslim: 11.7%
Christians: 1.3%
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