The third list of candidates for Jharkhand elections released by the Congress party on Monday late night included daughter of tainted former Minister Yogendra Saw and widow of murdered ex Dhanbad Deputy Mayor Niraj Singh – a move that experts see as a sympathy card played by the party to garner the support of voters.
The party has fielded a political greenhorn Amba Prasad Sahu, daughter of former Barkagaon legislator Yogendra Saw from the constituency. Saw, a former minister, was arrested on charges of running a banned Left Wing Extremist outfit Jharkhand Tiger in 2014.
His supporters, however, believe that he was innocent and became a victim of vendetta politics. He is currently out of State on the Apex Court order. On the other hand, Poornima Niraj Singh, widow of Niraj Singh, who was allegedly shot dead by gunmen hired by his cousin -a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sanjeev Singh- will contest the Jharia constituency with a Congress ticket. Sanjeev, a former legislator, is in jail since 2017 in connection with the case.
“Sympathy card often works for political parties. If we talk in context of the Jharia seat, the Congress candidate will not only get the support that she enjoys because of her politically-influential family, but also get sympathy votes as her husband was murdered in an infamous incident,” said Dr. VP Sharan, political expert and academician. Interestingly, Saw’s wife Nirmala Devi contested the Barkagaon election for the first time in 2014 after her husband’s incarceration and won the seat with a Congress ticket. The Saw family enjoys immense support in Barkagaon and Amba Sahu will benefit from it, said Sharan.
The list of candidates also included the names of Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Alamgir Alam, incumbent Jamtara legislator Irfan Ansari, former Dhanbad legislator Mannan Mallick and former Ranchi Deputy Mayor Ajay Nath Shahdeo. Alam and Ansari will contest from Pakur and Jamtara seats respective, while Shahdeo will contest from Hatia constituency.
The All India Congress Party (AICC) has by now released names of 25 candidates for the Jharkhand elections. The party, as per a seat sharing equation unanimously decided by allies in the Mahagathbandhan, will field candidates for 31 constituencies here. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which has the second highest representation in the State Assembly, will field candidates for 43 seats.
The third ally, Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will contest the remaining seven seats here. “Most of our candidates are experienced leaders who have won elections in the past. But the party also believes in encouraging the youth to participate in active politics,” said Lal Kishorenath Shahdeo, Congress Spokesperson. Elections for the 81 Assembly segments in Jharkhand will be held in five phases from November 30 to December 20. The Mahagathbandhan here will take on the NDA alliance of BJP and AJSU Party.