Banna Gupta wants to take control of Municipal Corporation: Saryu Roy
Jamshedpur, Oct 21: As the Jharkhand assembly elections are just around the bend, Mango is emerging as a crucial battleground for candidates in Jamshedpur West. With a population of nearly three lakh in Mango, political experts believe that whichever candidate secures majority support from this area will have a clear edge in the election. As a result, candidates have intensified their efforts in Mango, focusing on public outreach, worker mobilization, and the formation of booth committees.
Mango has a history of large vote banks from specific community uniting in support of a single candidate. Realizing this factor, political parties and alliances are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to capture the Mango vote. Incumbent MLA Banna Gupta and Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy are both working hard to gain Mango’s backing.
INDIA bloc, spearheaded by the Congress party, is working on a strategy to unify Mango’s vote bank in its favour. However, they are also mindful of the need to draw support from other areas of Mango to bolster their position. Banna Gupta, the current MLA of Jamshedpur West, is one of the key players in this contest. Gupta, who has strong ties with the Bengali community in Kadma, has been actively promoting the welfare schemes implemented by the Hemant Soren-led government and his own development work in the area.
On the other hand, Saryu Roy, the MLA from Jamshedpur East, is working tirelessly to strengthen his base in Mango. Roy, who is a prominent leader within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is focused on mobilizing traditional BJP voters to rally behind the Janata Dal (United), which is contesting under the cylinder symbol. The NDA is pushing the narrative that the cylinder symbol is equivalent to the BJP’s lotus symbol, essentially conveying that a vote for the cylinder is a vote for a BJP-led government in the state.
The NDA’s strategy hinges on convincing voters that the party’s candidate will ensure that the BJP comes power in Jharkhand, even though the actual candidate may be from the JDU. This has become a critical talking point in the campaign, especially for voters in Mango, as both Banna Gupta and Saryu Roy reside outside the area.
Both candidates, Banna Gupta and Saryu Roy, are keenly aware of the importance of Mango and have made development a central issue in their campaigns. Gupta has been focusing on highlighting the various development projects initiated during his tenure, while Roy is focusing on his credentials as a long-standing member of the NDA and his connection with the Sikh community in the region.
Roy’s campaign has also emphasized the need for a strong NDA presence in Mango, stating that if the NDA secures a majority in this area, it could have a significant impact on the upcoming municipal elections.
Saryu visited various localities in Mango on Sunday, intensifying his efforts to garner support for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
He met residents and expressed his satisfaction at being part of the NDA. He highlighted his long-standing connection with the alliance, recalling that he served as the first coordinator of the NDA in United Bihar when leaders like Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan were at the helm of constituent parties.
Roy noted that even today, key figures like Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan (son of Ram Vilas Paswan), and AJSU president Sudesh Mahato continue to play crucial roles in the NDA.
Roy’s message to Mango residents was clear: they must vote for the NDA to ensure strong representation in both the assembly and the upcoming municipal elections. He emphasized the importance of securing a majority from Mango for the NDA, which he believed would significantly impact the local political landscape, especially the municipal polls, which had been delayed.
Jamshedpur East MLA also took the opportunity to critique his opponent, Banna Gupta, the sitting MLA of Jamshedpur West. “Banna is trying to take control of the Municipal Corporation and I urge the people of Mango to prevent this by voting for the NDA,” added Saryu.
Meanwhile, efforts are being made to divide the BJP’s traditional vote bank in Mango. Independent candidate Vikas Singh, who has not yet filed his nomination, has been gaining support for his involvement in religious activities, such as organizing the Baba Dham Yatra. While Singh is preparing to contest as an independent, his supporters are creating an atmosphere suggesting that once elected, he would support the BJP, thus appealing to conservative voters.
Additionally, Banna Gupta’s participation in religious events is being emphasized as part of his broader strategy to attract special community. Despite the fact that Gupta is a Congress candidate, his involvement in religious activities is being highlighted to draw support from voters who are traditionally aligned with the BJP.
There is also speculation that another candidate, Babar Khan, is preparing to enter the race, further complicating the political landscape in Mango. Khan’s entry could fragment the vote even more, adding another layer of competition to an already crowded and competitive election.
With multiple candidates vying for the Mango vote, the constituency has become a focal point for all major political players in Jamshedpur West. The fight is not just between the INDIA bloc and the NDA but also involves independent candidates and local figures who are attempting to present themselves as the “sons of the soil.”
The outcome in Mango is expected to have a ripple effect on the wider Jamshedpur West election with a total number of voters being 3,84,359 including 1,93,730 male and 1,90,598 female voters.
