Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Oct 18: The upcoming Ghatsila assembly by-poll has taken a triangular turn with the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), led by Jairam Mahato, announcing its candidate Ramdas Murmu.
The party made the declaration through an official press release, confirming Murmu’s entry into the contest against the heavyweights — Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The by-poll was necessitated following the demise of former education minister and three-time MLA Ramdas Soren, who had represented the JMM.
On Friday, both JMM’s Somesh Soren and BJP’s Babulal Soren filed their nomination papers amid massive rallies and shows of strength from their respective parties.
Senior leaders accompanied both candidates during the filing process, which was followed by spirited public meetings in the constituency.
So far, four candidates have filed their nominations for the Ghatshila by-poll. The last date for filing nominations is October 21, while scrutiny will take place on October 22. Candidates will have until October 24 to withdraw their nominations.
In the 2024 Assembly elections, the late Ramdas Soren had defeated BJP’s Babulal Soren by over 22,000 votes, retaining the seat for JMM.
Known as a grassroot leader, Soren had served as the party’s East Singhbhum district president and was inducted into Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s cabinet as education minister after the INDIA bloc’s victory in 2024. His political journey began as a village head (gram pradhan) before rising through the ranks of the JMM.
With Ramdas Murmu’s entry, the Ghatshila by-poll is now shaping up to be a three-cornered battle, promising a high-stakes political contest in one of Jharkhand’s most politically sensitive constituency.
