Once considered stronghold for JMM Santhal Pargana seems to have salvaged the party once again. When most of the constituencies in Jharkhand presented a sordid saga for the party and its partner Congress and the RJD, two seats from the region went in the lap of the JMM. Incidentally the two seats of Dumka and Raj Mahal remained what all the UPA could manage out of the 14 seats in the State.
After a tight contest when the JMM patriarch Shibu Soren managed the win it was not without controversy. When the JMM supremo emerged as clear winner by about 37000 votes leaving BJP's Sunil Soren at second spot the workers of the saffron party sat on dharna at the counting place. BJP leaders also met Chief Electoral Officer PK Jajoria and demanded for a recounting.
Arjun Munda, holding a PC said, "We suspect that on the direction of CM Hemant Soren counting process at Dumka was stopped for around four hours on grounds of a snag in EVM. We are going to the Chief Electoral Office to press our demand for ensuring fair counting."
However, overruling the objections the Election Commission declared Shibu Soren a winner with 39030 votes. He was polled total 335815 votes and his nearest rival Sunil Soren of the BJP received 296785. Though, dissatisfied Sunil Soren said that he would move to the court challenging the result declared.
JMM's another candidate who is likely to secure win for his party was Vijay Hansda, a Congressman who had switched to the party at the last moment. He was up against a former JMM heavyweight Hemlal Murmu. Murmu contesting as BJP candidate this time from Raj Mahal was trailing over 5700 till the last moment and lost to Hansda by nearly 20000 votes.
But the series of consolation wins stopped at another seat of Santhal Pargana region. Godda brought a clear cut victory for sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. Dubey maintained a consistent lead and won finally by 60,682 votes over Congress' Furkan Ansari. Ansari was a coalition candidate of JMM-RJD combined.
"The JMM though presented a divided house but has a good hold in Santhal Pargana. It went in its favour in terms of results but margin of victories tell a real story. Sense the party supporters are getting that after ailing Shibu Soren the JMM is not in safe hands," said a top JMM leader requesting anonymity.
Even at Dumka the party found it hard to repeat a win for Shibu Soren. The party besides degradation of its Santhal vote bank also damaged severely by another Santhal leader and JVM chief Babulal Marandi. Marandi though fared at third spot with about 1.5 lakh votes but set the belief that stronghold of JMM in the region is breakable and breaking.
JMM had virtually to drag Shibu Soren at election meetings where he barely would spoke 2-3 minutes. His face and fear of Marandi who projected by the JMM as one who would revoke SPT Act-the act imposed to protect tribal lands-if comes to power saved the seat for it. Despite winning so times, Shibu could manage just 3.3 lakh votes and leading with narrow margin of about 40000. JMM could not present a challenge at Giridih for BJP's Ravindra Pandey who won by over 40313 votes. Dumri sitting MlA of the party Jagarnath Mahto polled 351600 votes.