Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad released the party's manifesto for Jharkhand elections on Wednesday, promising a job for at least one member of every below-poverty-line (BPL) family in the state if re-elected to power.

The BJP also pledged to provide financial assistance to high school students hailing from backward and poor families. “Every student of Classes 9 and 10 will receive Rs 2,200 and that of Classes 11 and 12 Rs 7,500 as scholarships,” Prasad said, releasing the manifesto in Ranchi.

The party resolved to create job opportunities for local youth, if it formed government in the state again. It also promised loans to the tune of up to Rs 5 lakh for tribal women running self-help groups.

Assembly polls will be held in Jharkhand in five phases, beginning November 30. Counting will be held on December 23.

Union law & justice and IT minister Prasad told the media that unlike Maharashtra and Haryana, the BJP would not fall short of numbers in Jharkhand and get back to power with an absolute majority.

He described the BJP’s failure to form a government in Maharashtra — chief minister Fadnavis had to resign on Tuesday for not having the numbers — as an instance when people had been “robbed” of their mandate.

“In Maharashtra, the alliance (BJP/Shiv Sena) got the mandate. In a way the mandate was robbed, it is an example of opportunism,” Prasad said taking a veiled dig at the saffron party's former NDA ally without naming it.

He said the BJP got 105 seats in Maharashtra and that “they (Shiv Sena) won on our shoulders”.

Shiv Sena which is all set to form a government in Maharashtra with the NCP and Congress bagged 56 seats in the 288-member Assembly in the western state.

“We resigned, and the matter is over,” Prasad said and avoided going into details about the end of a short-lived Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra.

Prasad rejected the idea that the BJP getting lesser seats in Haryana and Maharashtra would impact elections results in Jharkhand.

“No, it will not happen in Jharkhand. The BJP will win an absolute majority and provide a stable government,” he said.

Among the others who were present while Prasad released the BJP manifesto, were chief minister Raghubar Das, Union tribal minister Arjun Munda and the party's state unit president Laxman Gilua.