Lok Sabha elections: BJP likely to field Bidyut, Gilua from Jamshedpur, Singhbhum

JAMSHEDPUR: Though no formal announcements have been made by the ruling BJP, highly-placed sources in the saffron camp told TOI that sitting MPs Bidyut Baran Mahato and Laxman Gilua will again contest from Jamshedpur and Singhbhum Lok Sabha seats. The seats will go to the polls in the sixth phase on May 12.


The sources added that Mahato, who had left JMM and joined BJP just before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, will contest from the Jamshedpur seat, which has always been a high-profile seat in

Jharkhand

. The sources said no other person from the party has staked claim over both the two Singhbhum seats and the party.

The Jamshedpur seat comprises of three general assembly segments — Baharagora, Jamshedpur East, Jamshedpur West — one SC assembly segment Jugsalai and two ST assembly segments — Ghatshila and Potka.

In the first Lok Sabha polls in 1957, the seat was won by Mohindra Kumar Ghosh of Indian National Congress, but the seat went to CPI's Udaikar Mishra in 1962 polls. The Jamshedpur seat has been won twice in a row by only Sailendra Mahato and his wife Abha Mahato. Sailendra Mahato had won the seat on JMM ticket in 1989 and 1991. Later, his wife Abha Mahato won it on BJP ticket in 1998 and 1999.

BJP won the Jamshedpur seat for the first time in 1996 by fielding Nitish Bharadwaj (television artist who rose to the heights of fame by playing the character of Krishna in Mahabharat).

In the 2014 elections, Bidyut Baran Mahato got 4,64,153 votes which is 44.24% of the total votes cast. Ajoy Kumar, who was then in JVM (P), finished second with 3,64,277 votes (34.72%). JMM's Niroop Mahanty, a former Tata Steel executive, finished third.

Jamshedpur has 16 lakh voters, of which there are 2.5 lakh Kurmi voters and they have played a vital role in deciding the fate of candidates. So Bidyut Baran Mahto, who hails from that community, will be a safe bet for BJP.