Ranchi, Nov 12 (Reporter) A little over a month after the BJP pulled off a spectacular win in the Haryana Assembly polls, the NDA headed by the saffron outfit is set for another trial of strength with the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand on Wednesday. 43 of the total 81 seats in the mineral-rich tribal dominated eastern Indian state is up for grabs on the morrow in round one of the two-phase polls, with the ruling INDIA, led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in the state, fighting to retain power in the face of a determined challenge by the BJP and its alliance partners. With the BJP having defied all pre-poll predictions to hold on to Haryana for a historic third consecutive term last month in a face-to-face with the INDIA bloc fulcrum Congress, the outcome in Jharkhand could give a clearer sense of the political crosswinds blowing in the country five months after the Lok Sabha election. The April-May-June general elections saw the return of the Narendra Modi government for a third back-to-back tenure at the Centre, but with a reduced majority for the NDA. More importantly, the BJP fell short of a majority on its own. In such a scenario, the victory in Haryana seems to have boosted the morale of the BJP and it's allies, which are going all out to continue the good show in Jharkhand. Thus, the election is also crucial for the JMM-Congress-RJD grouping that represents the NDA in Jharkhand not only to retain power the state, but also to seize the momentum as far as national politics is concerned. Since the previous elections five years back, politics in Jharkhand has been eventful and packed with high drama that saw the late night arrest of chief minister Hemant Soren on graft charges, installation of Champai Soren as the new CM, and then the return of Hemant Soren to the hot seat after his release on bail. To add to it all, the veteran leader Champai resigned from the JMM days after he was made to step down from the CM's chair and subsequently crossed over to the BJP. The election campaign has been no-holds-barred and fierce, with the BJP going all guns blazing in accusing Hemant and his government of indulging in corrupt practices and aiding infiltration of Bangladeshis. BJP Stalwarts Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have gone to the extent of accusing the JMM regime of altering the demographics in the state against the interests of the tribals. JMM chief Hemant Soren has countered the BJP by accusing it of playing communal politics to divide the people for its political gain. With the political temperature soaring, the authorities have pressed into service over two hundred companies of security forces to ensure trouble-free polls. Polling will be from 7 am to 5 pm but in 950 sensitive booths spread across 31 constituencies voting will take place till 4 pm. In 225 sensitive booths, polling personnel and election material are being flown by Air Force helicopters. Over 1.37 crore voters are eligible to choose their representatives on Wednesday from a pool of 683 candidates, 73 of them women and one candidate from the third gender. Among the keenly watched constituencies are Seraikella, Ranchi, Jamshedpur West, Jaganathpur and Jamshedpur East. The BJP has nominated Champai Soren contesting from Seraikella, while Jamshedpur East will see a duel between Congress nominee Ajoy Kumar, a former police superintendent of Jamshedpur, and Purnima Das Sahu, daughter-in-law of ex Jharkhand Chief Minister and present Odisha Governor Raghubar Das. In Jaganathpur, BJP’s Geeta Koda, wife of former Chief Minister Madhu Koda, is taking on Congress leader Sona Ram Sinku. Jamshedpur West has the highest number of candidates at 28, while only eight candidates are in fray from Jagannathpur. The remaining 38 Jharkhand constituencies will go to the hustings on November 20. The vote count is on November 23...////...