Mail News Service
Ghatsila, Oct 16: With both the BJP and JMM having announced their candidates for the upcoming Ghatsila by-election, political dynamics in the region were rapidly evolving. A new possibility has surfaced that the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), led by Dumri MLA Jairam Mahto, may field a relative of Surya Hansda, who was killed in a police encounter, as its candidate.
According to party sources, the JLKM leadership held a crucial meeting a few days ago to discuss its strategy for the by-election. Senior leaders hinted that the party would introduce a “surprise candidate” in Ghatsila, fueling speculation about the possible candidature of a member from Surya Hansda’s family. Recently, Hansda’s family met Jairam Mahto and expressed their willingness to contest the election. However, the final decision rested with the party Supremo, and no official announcement had been made yet.
It is worth noting that in the last Assembly election, JLKM had fielded Ramdas Murmu from Ghatsila, who managed to secure around 8,000 votes in his electoral debut. Although the figure was modest, it established a base for the party in the region.
This time, the political scenario was more complex. The ongoing movement to include the Kurmi community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category had significantly influenced regional politics. If the JLKM nominated a member of Surya Hansda’s family, it could attract both Kurmi and tribal voters, leveraging sympathy over the encounter issue and the broader ST demand. Such a move had the potential to split the traditional vote banks of both the JMM and BJP, making the Ghatsila by-election an unpredictable and closely watched political contest.
