SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 18: The Dumri assembly seat in Giridih is poised for an intense electoral contest, especially with the announcement from Jairam Mahto, chief of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), to contest in the upcoming assembly polls.
Polling for the Dumri seat is scheduled for November 20 in the second phase of elections.
Historically, Dumri has been a Mahto-dominated constituency, with JMM leader Jagarnath Mahto holding sway from the first assembly election in Jharkhand in 2005 until the 2019 poll.
Recent electoral history
Following the death of Jagarnath Mahto in 2023, his wife, Baby Devi Mahto, currently the minister for prohibition and excise, won the by-election by defeating AJSU’s Yashoda Devi Mahto by a margin of 17,100 votes.
Given that Mahto votes are crucial in this constituency, Jairam Mahto’s decision to enter the race has added a new dimension to the election. Jairam previously contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Giridih seat, securing an impressive 347,322 votes, finishing behind AJSU candidate CP Choudhary, the winner, and Mathura Prasad Mahto from JMM.
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Key candidates and parties
With Baby Devi (wife of late Jagarnath Mahto) representing the JMM as the sitting MLA and Yashoda Devi from AJSU losing by a narrow margin, both are likely to be fielded again by their respective parties in the upcoming elections.
The entry of Jairam Mahto, another candidate from the Mahto community, has made the contest for the Dumri seat even more competitive and interesting.
JLKM announces third list of candidates
In a related development, JLKM released its third list of eight candidates for various constituencies on Thursday evening. Spokesperson Sushil Kumar Mandal confirmed that Jairam Mahto would contest from two seats: Dumri in Giridih and either Bermo in Bokaro or Mandu in Hazaribagh.
So far, the JLKM has announced candidates for 28 constituencies, with the first list comprising five candidates and the second list featuring 15 candidates.
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