The result of Mandar assembly by-poll has yet again confirmed that the Hemant Soren led JMM-Congress-RJD alliance is still unbeatable in Jharkhand after Shilpi Neha Tirkey of the Congress defeated BJP’s Gangotri Kujur by a margin of 23000 votes.
She is the daughter of senior politician Bandhu Tirkey. The by-election was necessitated following disqualification of Bandhu Tirkey as the MLA after he was convicted by a special CBI court in disproportionate asset case.
The Congress is naturally excited over the victory as it has increased the tally of the party in the assembly. “This is the victory of people of Mandar. The BJP hatched conspiracy against me and got me disqualified from the assembly. People have given a befitting reply to the BJP. People have responded their faith in the government the Hemant Soren led alliance,” Bandhu Tirkey said.
The result has left the BJP disappointed as the party believed that the presence of Deokumar Dhan as the candidate of Asaduddin Owaisi’s party will divide Muslim vote which will pave way for the victory of the BJP. However, Muslim votes remained intact.
This is the fourth assembly by-poll which the BJP has failed to grab from the UPA alliance. In 2019 assembly poll the JMM led alliance pushed the BJP out of the power in Jharkhand to an extent that chief minister Raghubar Das lost the election.
Hemant Soren contested two assembly seats namely Dumka and Barhet. Later on he resigned from Dumka seat. In the ensuing by election the JMM fielded Basant Soren, younger brother of chief minister. The BJP repeated former minister Louise Marandi. But she failed to grab Dumka.
The second by-poll took soon after when sitting Congress MLA from Bermo Rajendra Singh died. Since it was a seat of the Congress, the party fielded Jai Mangal Singh, elder son of the deceased leader. He defeated BJP’s Yogeshwar Mahto Batul with a margin over 14000 votes.
Similarly, in Madhupur assembly by-election the BJP could not snatch this seat from the JMM. This seat fell vacant following the death of JMM minister Haji Hussain Ansari. The JMM offered this seat to his son Hafizul Hassan Ansari. He defeated BJP’s Ganga Narayan Singh.
However, the BJP leaders refused that these by-elections were a referendum upon the performance of the state government. “In the by-election, local factors play role. This government has become extremely unpopular and it has to go sooner or later. We concede defeat in Mandar assembly. But our candidate had given a tough fight to the ruling alliance,” said a BJP leader.