Despite a low voting percentage, BJP-backed Mayoral candidate Asha lakra registered her victory defeating her nearest rival Trinamool Congress (TMC) supported nominee Navin lakra with a margin of 14,969 votes. She secured a total of 40,941 votes in her favor. AJSU backed candidate Barsa Gadi somehow managed to secure third position for herself.
“Final results for the Mayoral polls have come out and Asha lakra has been declared winner who secured a total of 40,941 votes,” said Ranchi DC Vinay Kumar Chaubey.
Barsa Gadi, could gather 22,534 votes for her, while former mayor Rama Khalkho, supported by the Congress, held the fourth position with 11,604 votes.
It was celebration time for the overjoyed BJP workers who started bursting crackers and distributing sweets among themselves as soon as the elections results were declared. Asha was taken to the Albert Ekka Chowk in an open jeep with the procession to mark the victory. Asha, along with her supporters also went to the residence of former Chief Minister Arjun Munda to take her blessings after the victory. Munda congratulating lakra, thanked people of Ranchi for expressing their faith in her and the BJP.
“Once again I congratulate the people of Jharkhand for expressing their faith in the party by voting in favor of Asha,” said Munda. With this the party once again, has marked its victory in the state with the support of the people, Munda added. “People of Ranchi have once again rejected those candidates who only do politics of vote,” he added. Despite a low voting percentage, margin of votes definitely remained high, he said.
Asha, initially an Akhil Bhartiya Vidyrarthy Parishad member joined women’s wing of BJP in 2010 who, also held several important posts in the organization like National Secretary along with Smriti Irani and was in charge of of West Bengal and Delhi.
A resident of small village Ghaghra in Gumla distric Asha, daughter of a retired police Officer Haricharan Bhagat is her parent’s second daughter. After completing her masters in Geography from Ranchi University, she is presently pursuing PHD from Nialambar Pitambar University.
The election for the Mayoral post was held on June 23 and the counting of votes took place on Friday. The election witnessed the lowest turnout with only 17.72 percent electors casting their votes. A total 14 candidates were in the fray.
Earlier, the election was scheduled to be held in April last year. But it got cancelled after Rs.21.9 lakh was seized from a hotel room ahead of the elections. Former Mayor Khalkho was arrested allegedly trying to influence voters with money power.
Asha win a hope for Ranchi: Munda
The victory of BJP-backed candidate Asha lakra in the mayoral elections will prove to be a big morale booster for the saffron brigade ahead of the Assembly elections.
Senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Arjun Munda said that Asha is competent enough to change the face of Ranchi and will fast-track the infrastructural development of the capital. He said that the party cadres will be further galvanized with Asha’s victory in the run up to the Assembly elections. He said that her victory in a closely contested election has once again proved that people have rejected the regional parties as well as the Congress and made up their mind to vote BJP overwhelmingly in the Assembly elections too to form a stable government, which has eluded the State since the birth of Jharkhand.