Several senior BJP leaders including State health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi filed their nominations paper on Wednesday, the last day for filing papers for the first phase of Assembly elections scheduled on November 30.
The prominant leaders who filed the nominations apart from Chandravanshi ,who is contesting election from Bishrampur Assembly segment in Palamu, included BJP candidate Satyendra Nath Tiwari from Garhwa, self acclaimed academician-cum-politician Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Prasad Mehta from Panki among others.
However, the biggest surprise was filling of nomination of former state Congress president Sukhdeo Bhagat who joined BJP last month from Loharadga.
The Lohardaga seat is one of the few seats where both BJP and AJSU party are at loggerheads. Sources said that till Tuesday evening, Bhagat was unaware of his fate, however, on Tuesday evening he received consent from BJP high command. After receiving the information on Tuesday he left for Lohardaga and today he filed his nomination.
Lohardaga is likely to witness triangular contest as from Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved seat, State Congress president Rameshwar Oroan, Neeru Shanti Bhagat of AJSU party and wife of former MLA Kamal Kishore Bhagat are in the fray.
Sukhdeo Bhagat after filling his nomination paper said, “I am confident that the people of Lohardaga will once again repose faith in him.” Bhagat the new entrant to saffron party indirectly attacked AJSU party chief Sudesh Mahto.
He said, “It shows the character of a leader as some leaders for enjoying the fruits of power always remain in government irrespective of the political parties heading the Government.” Apart from Chandravanshi, senior Congressman and former MLA from Bishrampur Chandrashekhar Dubey A.k.a Dadai Dubey also filed his nomination paper.
Sources said that Dubey after filing his nomination paper publicly cried as few days back his elder son Ajay Dubey died due to cardiac arrest. Self acclaimed academician-cum-politician Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Prasad Mehta who joined BJP last month also filed his nomination from Panki seat.
Mehta is facing trial in connection with the murder of Suchitra Mishra who was a warden at the school where the now former JMM leader was the director. He is currently out on bail. The joining of Mehta in BJP fold was protested by Mishra’s sons. Also Congress candidate from Panki Devendra Kumar Singh alias Bittu Singh also filed his nomination from Panki seat.
Bittu Singh is the son of former Panki MLA Videsh Singh, who won the seat in 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2014, irrespective of his political affiliations. In 2016 after the death of Videsh Singh, Bittu Singh won the seat as Congress candidate defeating BJP’s Lal Suraj. Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Mehta who was then JMM nominee contested making the contest triangular.
Moreover, sulking BJP leaders who were denied ticket this time also filed their nomination as opposition party candidate. BJP chief whip in Assembly and Chhatarpur MLA Radha Krishan Kishore, who joined AJSU party on Tuesday filed his nomination from Chhatarpur seat. Kishore had represented Chhatrapur Assembly segment for five times through from different parties.
As a Congress candidate he had represented Chhatarpur in 1980, 1985 and 1990. After the creation of separate State Jharkhand in 2000, he once again became MLA in 2005 as Janata Dal United candidate. In 2014, he joined BJP and became the MLA once again. Baidyanath Ram former HRD minister and Latehar MLA who left BJP few days back after he was denied ticket filed his nomination as JMM candidate from the seat.
On last of nominations, 227 candidates filled their nominations in 13 Assembly constituencies going to poll on November 30. The highest number of candidates filing nominations was from Bhawanthapur Assembly seat where 31 candidates filled their papers, followed by Bishrampur where 23 candidates are in fray. The least number of candidates filling nominations was from Chatra where only 10 candidates filled their nominations.
