Jharkhand: BJP MPs toil to return Lok Sabha poll favour to party candidates

RANCHI: For the 11 BJP MPs from Jharkhand in Lok Sabha, the state assembly election is quid pro quo time. During the Lok Sabha polls, right from chief minister Raghubar Das to all the other 42 MLAs of the party had worked in tandem to ensure the saffron wave prevailed. The result was emphatic, BJP won 11 and its then ally Ajsu Party got one out of 14 seats in the state.

Therefore, despite the Parliament's winter session being in progress, BJP MPs from Jharkhand are going all out to ensure the party achieves its target of winning more than 65 seats.


Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, who defeated Congress veteran Subodh Kant Sahay by more than 2.83 lakh votes, has done more than his bit in this assembly election. He was in-charge of Johar Janashirvad Yatra during which Raghubar Das spearheaded rallies and public meetings throughout the state.

Seth told TOI: "I never took a break after being elected. My public contact programmes are continuing even today. I have also sanctioned several development projects in my constituency, which includes six assembly segments. In accordance with my poll promise, samadhan kendras have been set up in all the constituencies to help people avail benefits of the central and state government schemes. I have also distributed radios among panchayat chiefs to enable them to listen to the Prime Minister's Mann Ki Baat. Using Central government funds for health services, I ensured that people in my constituency get treatment without hiccups."

Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahto too is holding meetings with party workers. Mahto said: "I have been on the move for many months. I have established personal contact with voters and community leaders and through a variety of public events I have also informed the masses about the state and central government projects that have been introduced for the benefit of people."

Mahto has a tall ask before him as his constituency includes six crucial segments - Jamshedpur East, Jamshedpur West, Jugsalai, Baharagora, Potka and Ghatsila. Das himself is contesting from the Jamshedpur (East) constituency and is facing his former cabinet colleague Saryu Rai. Mahto is also credited with playing a pivotal role in convincing the sitting JMM's Baharagora MLA Kunal Sarangi to join BJP.

Just days ahead of the visit of BJP's star campaigners, Khunti MP and Union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda held two public meetings at Bhandaria in Palamu division and Raidi in Gumla. Between November 21 and 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP's national president and Union home minister Amit Shah and executive president J P Nadda are going to address several public meetings in the state.

For Chatra MP Sunil Singh, the focus is now on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on November 25. BJP's top brass has put Singh in-charge of providing a smooth passage to Modi's twin election meetings in Palamu and Gumla. Singh said: "Four of the five assembly constituencies under Chatra parliamentary constituency - Chatra, Latehar, Panki and Manika - are going to polls in the first phase on November 30. While election in the Simaria assembly constituency will be held in the third phase on December 12. Apart from preparing for PM's visit, I am carrying out public-contact events and addressing meetings on a daily basis to ensure that BJP maintains a huge lead over other parties in all the six constituencies."

The BJP MP from Godda, Nishikant Dubey, too, is hard at work in his constituency.

"I have held several meetings with party workers and have been campaigning alongside the party's candidates. In four of the six assembly segments that fall under the Godda parliamentary constituencies the sitting MLAs have been given tickets by the party. This, in itself, is a proof that the MLAs have done good work and the party has reposed its faith in them owing to their people connect. I am confident of BJP's victory in all six segments."