The Congress on Tuesday announced the names of candidates for three more Lok Sabha constituencies – Godda, Chatra and Dhanbad.
Mahgama Legislator Deepika Pandey Singh, former Minister Krishna Nand Tripathi and Anupama Singh will contest the polls in Godda, Chatra and Dhanbad, respectively, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said.
It had announced the names of three candidates – Kalicharan Munda, Sukhdeo Bhagat and Jai Prakashbhai Patel on March 27 for Khunti (ST), Lohardaga (ST) and Hazaribagh constituencies, respectively.
Mahagama MLA, Deepika Pandey Singh will contest against sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, while Anupama Singh, the wife of Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal Singh, will fight BJP’s Baghmara legislator Dulu Mahto.
In Dhanbad, the saffron party had dropped sitting MP Pashupati Nath Singh, who has represented the seat since 2009, and fielded Mahato, against whom about two dozen criminal cases are lodged.
Mahato, who joined the BJP in 2014, had become an MLA in 2009 on the ticket of Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (JVM) of former chief minister Babulal Marandi.
Tripathi will be contesting against BJP candidate Kalicharan Singh from the Chatra seat, the Congress said.
Notably, Deepika Pandey Singh of Congress will face BJP’s vocal leader Nishikant Dubey on Godda Lok Sabha seat. Dubey has won Godda three times consecutively from 2009 to 2019. In Dhanbad, BJP's Dhullu Mahato will face Anupama Singh, while in Chatra Lok Sabha seat, former Minister KN Tripathi will have a direct contest with BJP's Kalicharan Singh.
The contest in Godda is likely to be very interesting as Deepika Pandey Singh and Nishikant Dubey often indulge in verbal spats. Singh often raises questions about Dubey's educational qualification, while Dubey confronts her on the issue of corruption.
Anupama Singh is the daughter-in-law of former MLA Rajendra Singh and wife of Bermo MLA Anup Singh. She is very popular among the women supporters of Congress in Dhanbad.
Notably, there was a tussle over the names of the candidates for the three seats for a long time. The opposition BJP has been taking a dig at INDI Alliance that it was unable to find candidates for the seats.
