Ranchi, Oct 15 : The stage is set for a high-stakes contest between the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Ghatshila Assembly bypoll.

The JMM on Wednesday announced the nomination of Somesh Soren, son of the late MLA and former Education Minister Ramdas Soren, as its candidate for the by-election.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's central committee, chaired by JMM president and former Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The Ghatshila seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), fell vacant following the death of Ramdas Soren, who had won the seat in the 2024 Assembly elections.

The BJP has fielded Babulal Soren, son of former Chief Minister Champai Soren, as its candidate. His nomination was announced through a letter issued by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh early on Wednesday.

Babulal Soren had also contested from Ghatshila in 2024 but lost to Ramdas Soren, who had polled 98,356 votes, while the BJP candidate secured 75,910 votes.

The Election Commission issued the notification for the by-election on October 13. The last date for filing nominations is October 21, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until October 24. Voting will take place on November 11, while counting is scheduled for November 14.

According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Jharkhand, 2,55,823 voters are eligible to cast their votes in this bypoll -- 1,24,899 men and 1,30,921 women, with women voters outnumbering men.

A total of 300 polling stations have been set up across 218 locations in the constituency. Twelve new polling stations have been added, while three have been merged with others.

Election officials said all necessary arrangements are nearing completion to ensure a free, fair, and transparent voting process.

The BJP also released the names of candidates for other bypolls taking place on the same day in different states.

According to the notification, the party has fielded Aga Syed Mohsin from Budgam and Devyani Rana from Nagrota in the Jammu and Kashmir bypolls.

Similarly, the party has given tickets to Jay Dholakia from Nuapada in Odisha and Lankala Deepak Reddy from Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad.

/IANS