Jharkhand: Nomination ends for three Lok Sabha seats

RANCHI/GUMLA: Curtains formally came down on the

nomination

process for Chatra,

Lohardaga

and

Palamu

constituencies on Tuesday. As many as 43 candidates filed their nominations from the three seats on the final day of the process, a statement from the chief electoral office said.


BJP’s Chatra candidate, Sunil Singh, filed his nomination on the last day and was accompanied by chief minister Raghubar Das and other party leaders. However, both the leaders faced protests from their own party workers, triggering panic within the ranks and files of BJP both at the state and the district levels.

Singh, who is the outgoing MP from Chatra, has been accused by the BJP workers of being indifferent towards the need and problems of the constituency in the last five years and shouted slogans against him, when he along with the party leaders was enroute to the district commissioner’s office for filing his nomination.

The saffron party’s problems further intensified when a BJP rebel and a former senior leader of the party from Chatra, Ravindra Prasad Sahu, too, filed his nomination to contest as independent. Sahu said, “We wouldn’t have problem with any candidate irrespective of caste and creed had he been a local person. We don’t want an outsider as our representative who doesn’t care for the constituency and its people after winning. The last five years have been the worst in terms of development as our MP was always MIA (missing in action).”

Congress’s Sukhdeo Bhagat also filed his nomination for the Lohardaga seat on the last day. He accompanied by Ranchi candidate and former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay and other party leaders in Gumla. For Lohardaga, a total of 11 nominations were filed.

Bhagat, who is currently the MLA from Lohardaga assembly constituency, submitted four sets of papers. A rally was taken out from Congress office to the district collectorate to file his nomination. Later, a of mahagathbandhan leaders of Congress JVM-P, JMM and RJD was held at the Town Hall.

During the meeting, Bhagat said, “I will continue to fight for safeguard of land and culture tribals, which the NDA government is trying to destroy by handing over their land to corporate houses. The adivasis must also have their own Sarna code.”

Criticising Sudarshan Bhagat, who is eyeing a third term on a BJP ticket, Bhagat said despite being a Union minister, the outgoing failed to bring rail connectivity to Gumla. He further said Sudharshan Bhagat also failed to fulfil the long pending demands for basic needs of the people.

In the meantime, the Palamu seat saw a total of 15 nominations. Scrutiny for the three seats will be held on April 10 while the last date of withdrawal is April 12.

Nominations for four more seats — Koderma, Khunti, Ranchi and Hazaribag will begin from Wednesday.