RANCHI, March 17 -- Making its intention clear to contest the Assam state elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) wrote to the Election Commission of India, providing a list of its 20 star campaigners that includes chief minister Hemant Soren and party legislator Kalpana Soren, party leaders said on Tuesday.

The development comes two days after the ECI announced the poll date for the 126-member Assam assembly election, with voting scheduled for April 9. Though the JMM has repeatedly underlined that it would enter the fray in Assam, which has a sizeable tribal population, the Hemant Soren-led party is yet to make it official whether they will contest solo or in alliance with other parties, including its Jharkhand ally, Congress.

In a...