The State BJP leadership controlled the damage faster than expected as it did not upset the order of the mayoral candidate but brought in Mangal Singh as its nominee for the post of deputy mayor which was earlier declined by Neelu Mishra.
The party leadership retained its confidence in its mayoral nominee Aruna Shanker which gave a shot in her arm and her loyalists as words doing the round here last evening were that State BJP leadership might go for any reversal 360 degree!
Sources said the State BJP leadership refrained from doing reversal of mayoral post for which it had nominated Aruna Shanker wife of Anand Shanker the president of Palamu chamber of commerce & industries rather the BJP chose a more safe road for the post of deputy mayor arising due to refusal of Neelu Mishra to contest deputy mayor post and pressed in Mangal Singh as its nominee for this deputy mayor post. Mangal Singh is the trusted man of the Palamu BJP MP V D Ram.
State BJP leadership breaking its all woman team for mayor and deputy mayor made a two gender woman man team for the two posts respectively where an OBC is candidate for top slot while a Rajput for the second slot.
A BJP supporter Rama Kant said, “Since now we have Mangal Singh in the poll fray we all wish it will be mangal mangal (read sacred) for the candidates and the party.” BJP district president Narender Pandey and State secretary Manoj Singh looked too concerned for this nomination of the two here on the last day of nomination.
Amidst this political drama of refusal and replacement Aruna Shanker and her husband Anand Shanker played their cool and calm and spent most of their time overseeing the preparation for the nomination as the BJP cadres & leaders were advised to converge at Sahitya Samaj maidan where the Shankers, their team and senior BJP leaders namely Narender Pandey, Shyam Narain Dubey, Amlesh Dubey, Prem Singh, Bipin Bihari Singh, Manoj Singh made this cadre convergence a preparatory ground for nomination where the Shankers & their team will have to work hard to keep the BJP house most united and standing solidly behind the mayoral candidate Aruna Shanker said a senior BJP leader who begged for anonymity.
The last day of nomination was a day of festivity in the Palamu collectorate where candidates tried all to make their entry for nomination as eye catching as possible. Outgoing chairlady of Medininagar Nagar Parishad ( now Medininagar has become corporation) Poonam Singh filed her nomination without any party ticket. RJD, JMM, JVM, BSP and others all have filed nominations.