The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Central Election Committee (CEC) announced on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, that Babulal Soren, son of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, will represent the party in the by-election for the Ghatsila assembly seat.
This vacancy arose due to the unfortunate passing of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Ramdas Soren. In the intensely contested 2024 Jharkhand assembly election, Ramdas Soren had secured a victory against Babulal Soren with a substantial margin of 22,446 votes.
Adding to the electoral anticipation, BJP State President Babulal Marandi has expressed confidence that the NDA will emerge victorious in the Ghatsila by-poll.
The voting for the Ghatsila Assembly seat by-election is scheduled for November 11, with the counting of votes to follow on November 14. Candidates have until October 21, 2025, to file their nominations, and can withdraw them by October 24.
The Ghatsila Assembly seat is designated for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category and is located in the East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Initially, the constituency had 251,367 voters, which has since increased to 255,823 following a Special Summary Revision (SSR).
The updated voter demographics indicate 124,899 male voters, 130,921 female voters, and three transgender voters.
Historically, after Jharkhand achieved statehood, Congress candidate Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu won the Ghatsila seat in the 2005 assembly elections. However, in the 2009 elections, Ramdas Soren claimed the seat on a JMM ticket.
The 2014 elections saw Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Laxman Tudu elected as the MLA, only for JMM’s Ramdas Soren to regain the seat in the 2019 elections.
Further intensifying the electoral landscape, over 4,000 voters were added to the Ghatshila Assembly constituency during the Special Summary Revision process ahead of the by-poll.
The BJP has unveiled a formidable list of star campaigners for the by-election. This includes Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jual Oram, Annapurna Devi, and Sanjay Seth, alongside the Chief Ministers of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, and Chhattisgarh, Vishnu Deo Sai.
The impressive roster of campaigners also features BJP State President and Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi, BJP State Working President and MP Aditya Sahu, former Chief Ministers Arjun Munda, Raghubar Das, Champai Soren, Madhu Koda, and Jharkhand in-charge Laxmikant Vajpayee, along with several local MLAs.
Meanwhile, the JMM, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has yet to announce its candidate for the upcoming by-poll, keeping the political observers in suspense.