Riding on a strong wave of Narendra Modi coupled with Kurmi vote card, the BJP candidate Vidyut Baran Mahto trounced his arch rival sitting JVM MP Dr Ajoy Kumar to clinch Jamshedpur lok Sabha seat in style. The BJP candidate registered his debut in Parliament by defeating Kumar by a margin of 99874 votes.
Mahto received 464144 votes while Ajoy Kumar received 364270 votes. JMM candidate Niroop Mahanty stood third with 13109 votes.
The Kurmi card played by the former CM Arjun Munda with selection of Mahto, who switched over from JMM just before elections, in the last minute for the Jamshedpur constituency, proved right for the party.
The strategy of Arjun Munda of advising Vidyut to focus primarily on rural parts in the six assembly segments of the Jamshedpur constituency also seemed to have paid well for BJP.
“It was Munda ji’s strategy that since the urban areas of the lok Sabha seat was under a strong wave of BJP Vidyut should focus on rural areas. He is hugely popular amongst kurmi (the community has a population of nearly 1.5 lakh in Jamshedpur parliamentary constituency) and during his stint as Baharagora MlA had good rapport with rural voters in the remaining four assembly segments of Ghatshila, Baharagora, Potka and Jugsalai assembly segments. He focussed his campaigning in the rural belt that played an important part in our victory,” said Raj Kumar Srivastava, BJP district president.
latter talking to the reporters an elated Mahto, clad in pink shirt and black trouser, said: “It’s definitely the victory of people of Jamshedpur. My immediate concern is to ensure that I fulfil all the promises I made. My focus will be on education and health”.
Meanwhile Ajoy Kumar who remained inside his residence in Circuit House Area latter told reporters he himself is surprised over his defeat.
“I did my best job and I accept the mandate of the people. I will try and study assembly wise performance,” said Kumar refusing to accept the Modi wave to one his reasons of the defeat.
According to poll pundits between 1989 and 2007 Mahto voters had played a crucial role in electing MPs for six terms Shailendra Mahto, Abha Mahto, Sunil Mahto and Suman Mahto). JVM though was pinning hopes from adivasi and Bhumij voters but JMM candidate Niroop Mahanty cut into a sizeable number of Adivasi votes especially in the rural assembly segments of Ghatshila, Potka and Baharagora played a spoilsport of the sitting MP.
In 2011 by election Ajoy Kumar had won the prestigious Jamshedpur lok Sabha by-election with a record margin defeating his nearest rival, Dineshanand Goswami of BJP, by 1,55,727 votes.