Prevailing confusion among voters makes the fight interesting
Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Nov. 24 : As the date for voting (December 7) is inching closer, the excitement for Jamshedpur East Assembly seat is increasing. All the candidates have put their might for campaign, but the voters in the high profile Jamshedpur East constituency have adopted a wait and watch policy.
The poll battle has become interesting after BJP rebel Saryu Roy filed his candidature as an independent against Chief Minister Raghhubar Das after the party denied him a ticket from Jamshedpur West.
Most of the over 3 lakh voters seem to have adopted a wait and watch policy when it comes to voting for Das or Roy. Though a sizable section of the electorate supports the honesty of former cabinet minister Roy and his fight against corruption others are favouring Das for giving a stable government in the State.
Das had a cake walk on earlier election, winning Jamshedpur East for five consecutive times. But the situation is different this time and the prevailing confusion among voters has added to the interest quotient.
� We have not decided whom to vote but the contest ids becoming interesting with each passing day. Well, I have still not decided whom to back. I have decided to wait for some days,� said Rameshwar Prasad, a vegetable vendor at Baridih.
A retired Tata Motors employee said that there is no doubt that Roy is a honest man but Das has also done a lot for the constituency. He has built roads in bustees across the constituency. There is also no power and water issue. Moreover, he is the chief minister. But I would like to wait for some days before deciding whom to back,� the Birsanagar resident added.
Rani Kumari a homemaker said she was very impressed with Roy�s fight back despite being denied the ticket . �I have been voting for the BJP for years but am a bit confused now. I think I should wait before taking a decision on my choice,� she added.
Das had won the 2014 assembly polls from Jamshedpur East with a margin of 70,157 against nearest Congress rival Anand Bihari Dubey. Before leaving for nomination, Das performed prayed at Shitala Mandir.
Apart from Roy, the Chief Minister is being challenged by Congress Party�s national spokesperson and XLRI Jamshedpur Professor Gourav Vallabh and JVM�s central secretary Abhay Singh. Meanwhile Shiv Sena has decided not to field any candidate from Jamshedpur West and East. The party has asked its party workers to support Saryu Roy from Jamshedpur West.
Dinesh Kumar, district president, BJP said that the BJP government would legalize the lease bandobasti of government lands occupied since the year 1988 onwards after a period of 30 years. He said those having possession of government land in the year 1988 would be given lease rights on the said land for a period of 30 years. Attacking the opposition parties, who had been critical of the Chief Minister, for delaying ownership rights to illegal urban slum dwellers in his own Jamshedpur East constituency, said that he has never lied to his voters.
�Das will fulfill the promises made to them. Ownership rights to illegal settlers is a complicated issue. But BJP government completed the promise,� said Kumar.
Incidentally, Raghubar Das had leading the agitation for ownership rights to 86 urban slums (outside Tata Steel command areas) in 1994-95 under the banner of Basti Vikas Samity.
