Sons of two Sorens battle for political legacy as Ghatsila heads for bypolls

The JMM, which heads the I.N.D.I.A bloc government in the Jharkhand, is banking on ‘Maiyan Samman Yojana’ that gives eligible women Rs 1,000 a month

New Delhi: The outcome will not threaten the government in Jharkhand but JMM and BJP are locked in an intense battle for political supremacy in Ghatsila where late minister Ramdas Soren’s son and former Chief Minister Champai Soren’s son are banking on their fathers’ legacies in the bypoll on November 11.

In the bypolls necessitated by the death of Ramdas Soren, JMM has fielded his son Babulal while BJP has fielded Champai Soren’s son Somesh, who had lost in the last elections. Adding spice to the battle is the presence of Ramdas Murmu of Jairam Mahto-led Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha, who garnered just 8,092 votes last time.

Somesh, a 39-year-old Mechanical Engineer, believes that his father’s legacy and the contributions to the constituency would help him cruise through while Babulal is banking on the Kolhan Tiger’s, as his father Champai Soren is known, goodwill. Murmu, who is a resident of Ghatsila, accuses his two rivals of being outsiders.

The JMM candidate has made it clear that he has entered the battlefield to fulfil his father’s “unfinished dreams” and promises to transform the constituency into an education hub as well as open mines to generate employment and stop migration. His BJP rival is highlighting corruption and lack of development under the Hemant Soren-led JMM government.

For the JMM, it is also important to ensure that Champai Soren, who was Chief Minister when Hemant Soren was jailed but later shifted to BJP, does not get a hold in the constituency.

Altogether 13 candidates are in the fray in the seat with 2.56 lakh voters. Incidentally, women voters outnumber men voters in the seat by around 6,100 and major candidates are trying to woo them.

The JMM, which heads the I.N.D.I.A bloc government in the state, is banking on ‘Maiyan Samman Yojana’ that gives eligible women Rs 1,000 a month while the BJP finds fault with the rising incidents of crime against women besides publicising the central government’s various schemes aimed at women.

The bad blood in the I.N.D.I.A bloc following JMM falling foul with the RJD-led bloc in Bihar has dented the sheen of the campaign in Ghatsila though the Hemant Soren-led party is convinced that it would not have an impact on Somesh’s prospects to enter the Assembly in his father’s place.

“We are united and fighting against the NDA as a force in this bypoll. The Bihar development will not have any impact on our prospects in Ghatsila,” JMM spokesperson Kunal Sarangi was quoted by PTI as saying. Earlier, JMM had said that it would review the alliance after the Bihar elections, as it could enter into a seat sharing arrangement in Bihar.