Jharkhand News: Dhanbad, Bokaro MLAs feel sidelined in BBMKU Senate membership

SUBHASH MISHRA

Dhanbad, May 27: Local MLAs from Dhanbad and Bokaro districts have expressed dissatisfaction over being sidelined in the recent nomination of Senate members for Binod Bihari Mahto Koylanchal University (BBMKU), Dhanbad. The nominations were made by the Jharkhand Assembly Speaker at the university’s request.

The Speaker nominated six MLAs as Senate members, of which only four are from Dhanbad and Bokaro. The remaining two — one from Giridih and another from West Singhbhum — are being seen as “outsiders” by local representatives.

List of Nominated MLAs and Concerns Raised

The six MLAs nominated to BBMKU’s Senate are:

• Raj Sinha (Dhanbad Sadar)
• Mathura Prasad Mahto (Tundi)
• Chandra Deo Mahto (Sindri)
• Umakant Rajak (Chandankyari, Bokaro)
• Manju Kumari (Jamua, Giridih)
• Niral Purty (Majhgaon, West Singhbhum)

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According to the Jharkhand University Statute Act, 2000, the Speaker is authorized to nominate six MLAs to each state university’s Senate. However, a retired professor from Ranchi University remarked that while the Speaker holds this authority, there has traditionally been a preference for nominating local MLAs whose constituencies fall within the university’s jurisdiction.

Deviation from Local Representation Norms

This tradition has been followed consistently — Ranchi MLAs were nominated to Ranchi University, and North Chotanagpur MLAs to Hazaribagh University. Following this practice, Dhanbad and Bokaro MLAs had expected to receive proportional representation in BBMKU’s Senate, as the university encompasses colleges from both districts.

Despite the presence of 10 MLAs in Dhanbad and Bokaro combined, only four were nominated. Meanwhile, Jamua MLA Manju Kumari has been termed an “outsider” since Giridih’s colleges come under Vinoba Bhave University (VBU), Hazaribagh. Similarly, Majhgaon MLA Niral Purty represents a region under Kolhan University, Chaibasa, making his inclusion in BBMKU’s Senate questionable from a regional standpoint.

Ignored MLAs and Official Response

Among those overlooked are:

• Arup Chatterjee (Nirsa, CPIML)
• Ragini Singh (Jharia, BJP)
• Shatrughan Mahto (Baghmara)
• Sweta Singh (Bokaro, Congress)
• Anup Singh (Bermo, Congress)
• Yogendra Prasad (Gomia, JMM)

A senior BBMKU official clarified that the Assembly Speaker considered reserved category representation while making nominations, and therefore, it would be inaccurate to say local MLAs were completely ignored.

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Senate Meetings Delayed for Years

Established in 2017, BBMKU held its first Senate meeting in 2018 with then-Governor and current President of India, Droupadi Murmu, as the chief guest. The second meeting took place in 2019. Since then, no Senate meetings have been conducted in the past six years, despite the statutory requirement for an annual session.

This delay is not unique to BBMKU. Other universities in Jharkhand — including VBU Hazaribagh, Kolhan University Chaibasa, and SKMU Dumka — have also failed to hold Senate meetings for several years.