SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 6: Candidates from national and regional parties contesting for the six assembly seats in Dhanbad are focusing their efforts on cleaning Chhath Ghats to appeal to voters, rather than traditional door-to-door campaigns.
Candidates join the cleaning drive
While the Dhanbad Municipal Corporation (DMC), led by Commissioner Raviraj Sharma, along with Dhanbad Rail Division DRM Kamal Kishore Sinha and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Madhvi Mishra, had already launched a cleaning drive following Durga Puja, aspiring MLA candidates have also taken part in this initiative in their respective areas.
Purnima Niraj Singh takes the lead
Purnima Niraj Singh, the Congress candidate for the Jharia seat and sitting MLA, took it upon herself to clean the famous Raja Talab in Jharia on Tuesday, an area where over 50,000 devotees gather to celebrate Chhath.
“Though the Municipal Corporation is cleaning the Talab for devotees, I could not restrain myself from joining the drive as the pond was full of trash, including broken bottles,” said Purnima Niraj Singh.
Also Read- Jharkhand News: Kerala native Palamu SP observes Chhath Puja
BJP’s Ragni Singh, Raj Sinha join the drive
BJP’s Jharia candidate, Ragni Singh (sister-in-law of Purnima Singh), also joined the drive, visiting several ponds in her constituency to help devotees prepare Chhath Ghats for the festival.
BJP’s Dhanbad Sadar candidate Raj Sinha, the sitting MLA, was the first to join the fray, participating in the cleaning of Khikhan Talab in the JC Mallick Road area, which sees a large number of devotees during Chhath Puja. Raj Sinha also visited various ponds in the Dhanbad Sadar constituency to assist in preparing the Ghats.
Local candidates focus on regional ponds
BJP candidate Tara Devi, contesting for the Sindri seat, and CPIML candidate Babloo Mahto, both locals from the Baliapur region, have concentrated their efforts on cleaning ponds in their areas to appeal to voters.
Tara Devi mentioned, “Since Chhath Puja is celebrated in large numbers in Sindri constituency, every year I launch a cleaning campaign even before election politics.”
BJP’s sitting MLA from Nirsa, Aparna Sengupta, focused on cleaning Chhath Ghats along the Barakar River, while Tundi BJP candidate Vikash Mahto initiated a cleaning drive in the Topchanchi area.
