All eyes are now set on the Ichagarh Assembly constituency as it goes to polls in the third phase on December 12. BJP’s sitting MLA Sadhu Charan Mahto is facing tough contest from Independent candidate Arvind Kumar Singh, alias Malkhan Singh, JMM candidate Savita Mahto, wife of late Sudhir Mahto, and AJSU Party’s Hare Lal Mahto.
Sitting MLA has been in news for allegedly assaulting district land acquisition officer Dipu Kumar on February 22. Police had filed an FIR against Ichagarh BJP legislator in the assault case that took place at Raghunathpur village in Nimdih.
The Ichagarh constituency, goes to polls on December 12, has many new faces with the exception of veteran political player featuring this year once again as an Independent candidate.
History has proven time and again that Ichagarh has remained among the hot seats in the Assembly contests. All eyes are on this take off base for the Ranchi dome of power. The mood of the voters of Ichagarh constituency is different from those of others. People here demand development and change for the better.
Prior to that year, elections were the sole domain of princely candidates. In 1990,m Assembly polls of undivided Bihar, Prince Prabhat Kumar Adityadev suffered a defeat and since then the royal family has distanced itself from the political arena.
In 1995, among the big names that featured in that election were Freedom Fighter on a Congress ticket Dhananjay Mahto, hi-profile BJP leader Hikim Mahto, Jamshedpur’s present parliamentarian then on a JMM (Mardi) ticket Bidyut Baran Mahto, former parliamentarian Sunil Mahto of Janata Dal, former Deputy Chief Minister Sudhir Mahto, former legislator Arvind Kumar Singh, alias Malkhan Singh, among others. Arvind Kumar Singh was the new face in the Ichagarh Assembly setup.
Meanwhile, after being elected a member of the Legislative Assembly of Bihar in 1995, Arvind Singh was elected as a BJP candidate in the Jharkhand Assembly contest of 2000 and then again in 2009 this time on a JVM ticket.
Singh has been actively raising issues of the Subernarekha Multi-purpose Project (SMP) affected families and sought additional compensation funds in line with the revised R&R policy.
Arvind Singh had asked the State Government to ensure reevaluation of the acquired land of the affected families within the framework of the revised R&R police and announce fresh compensation package to the affected families.
Residents of 116 villages displaced over three decades ago due to the multi-purpose Swarnarekah Multi-purpose Project (SMP), were forced to lead a miserable life owing to “indifferent approach of the Government in disbursing the compensation
The former legislator from Ichagarh Assembly constituency, which encompasses Chandil block, said owing to the administrative malfunctioning and irregularities in the distribution of the compensation funds several of the villagers are yet to collect their due.
