In Lohardaga, Cong, BJP, AJSU locked in 3-corner election battle

LATEHAR: Jharkhand Congress chief Rameshwar Oraon and former head of Jharkhand Congress Sukhdeo Bhagat, who has switched over to the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), are locked in what can be described as a clash of the titans in Lohardaga assembly constituency, a reserved constituency for Scheduled Tribes.

All Jharkhand Student Union (AJSU) candidate Niru Shanti Bhagat, who is the wife of AJSU founder and ex-legislator Kamal Kishore Bhagat, will make this seat a three-cornered contest.

Political drama ensued after the election was announced, with sitting MLA Bhagat joining the BJP, and the AJSU fielding Neeru Shanti even before the alliance was finalised. This seat has since been a bone of contention between the BJP and AJSU as the former wanted to field Bhagat while AJSU staked claim.

The announcement of their alliance was delayed due to AJSU’S demand of larger share in 2019 assembly elections and particularly, the Lohardaga and Chandankiyari constituencies. Eventually, the alliance broke down, with the AJSU fielding its own candidates.

AJSU had won Lohardaga in 2009 and 2014, but lost the by-election to Congress’s Sukhdeo Bhagat in 2015 after the sitting AJSU MLA Kamal Kishore Bhagat was convicted in a case. This time around, former top cop and MP of Lohardaga, Rameshwar Oraon, will try hard to regain hold over the seat for the Congress party.

Resident Babloo Oraon said, “It’s odd that the sitting MLA who had held the BJP responsible for these problems, is seeking votes in its name.” Sukhdeo Bhagat, however, insisted that the development initiatives undertaken by him were evidence of his commitment for the all-round development of the region.

Lohardaga has a sizable population of tribals, who comprise nearly the 55% of the total 243,000strong electorate. The rest are OBC and general category voters. Deepak Mukherjee, a local political analyst said, “A direct fight between the Congress and the BJP seems eminent here. The AJSU candidate is trying hard to make it triangular.”