A total of 28 candidates are in the fray for the November 3 bye-elections on two Assembly seats — Dumka and Bermo. Out of 13 nominations for Dumka by election, one was rejected so there are 12 candidates in fray. In Bermo seat, one nomination was rejected, leaving 16 candidates in the fray for the by-election to the constituency.
The by-elections are expected to be direct contest between the BJP and the ruling JMM-Congress alliance. In Dumka the ruling party JMM has fielded party chief Shibu Soren’s younger son Basant Soren. Fighting against junior Soren is BJP leader and former minister Louis Marandi. The JMM has put all its effort to retain the seat. Chief Minister Hemant Soren has camped in Dumka for five days campaigning for his younger brother Basant Soren.
Similarly, three former Chief Ministers, including Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda and Raghubar Das, have campaigned intensively in Dumka for Louis Marandi.
Dumka Deputy Commissioner-cum district election officer Rajeshwari B said a total of 368 polling booths have been erected for the November 3 election on the Dumka seat. There are 2,47,991 voters on the seat which comprises 1,24,750 male and 1,22,968 female.
In Bermo, there are 3,12,507 voters in the entire Assembly who will exercise their vote, out of which 1,48,017 are female voters and 1,64,194 are male voters.
A total of 468 polling stations have been prepared. The number of old booths was 356, but 112 new polling stations have been built in the Corona era and all new polling stations will operate in 234 buildings.
The entire constituency has been placed in a cluster while 51 sectors are divided. There are 100 highly sensitive booths, 255 sensitive and 113 general booths, of which the number of disabled voters is 4,887 and the number of voters above the age of 80 years about 2,620, added SDM, Bermo.
The number of model booths is 31, while 2343 voters have exercised their voting by postal ballot and disabled and elderly voters will exercise their vote at the polling station.
In Bermo though there are 16 candidates in fray the main fight is between Congress Jaimangal Singh, alias, Anup Singh and BJP Yoeshwar Mahto Batul.
Jaimangal Singh son of late Rajendra Prasad Singh is banking on sympathy votes and work done by his late father. The BJP candidate Mahto who had represented the seat on earlier occasions is working hard to snatch the seat from Congress.