After the lok Sabha election, political parties are gearing up for mayoral polls and fielding candidates in the election so as to salvage some of the pride lost in the recently held election to the lower house of Parliament. However, political parties have stuck to the same faces in this election also.
Even as some parties have completed the formalities by zeroing on the right candidate for the race to the coveted post of Mayor of Ranchi Municipal Corporation few are still brainstorming over the appropriate person to salvage the pride. Nonetheless, most of them are likely to make the name public in next few days. “Everything has been decided and the name will be made public once party leaders return from Delhi,” said Bhartiya Janta Party Spokesperson, Pradeep Sinha.
Interestingly, parties are likely to back same candidates which they had fielded in last mayoral polls held in 2013. While the BJP hinted at the candidate backed in previous election (Ajay Tirkey), AJSU Party and Trinamool Congress have made up their mind over a candidate’s name and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is likely to announce their candidate in this week. Barsa Gari will be AJSU Party candidate while and Navin lakra will be Trinamool Congress backed candidate in the election. Both candidates had contested in last election also.
The drubbing in recently concluded lok Sabha elections appears to have robbed political parties other than BJP of confidence needed to contest another election. While few have shown the audacity to gear up for elections, the Congress party seems to have gone into introspection mode.
Notwithstanding the drubbing at the hands of BJP other political parties are taking succor in the election which is fought on petty issues of local importance. Parties like JMM and TMC believe that the BJP wave witnessed in the lok Sabha election has subsided and that the contest is open.
“That (lS election) was fought on national issues and this (mayoral polls) will be fought on local issues. There is no connection between the two elections. We will put a strong contender in the election,” said JMM Spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya.
The JMM Town Committee has suggested Antu Tirkey as their candidate and is waiting for Chief Minister Hemant Soren to approve the name. Meanwhile, the State Election Commission is gearing up conducting Mayoral polls which will be conducted on June 23. Notification for the election will be issued on May 28.