Public RelationsJharkhand politics: All in the family
In Jharkhand politics, it’s sometimes all in the family. Take for example, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren, who is a Lok Sabha member. His daughter-in-law Sita Soren, widow of Durga Soren, won the elections from the Jama Assembly seat. Soren’s younger son, Hemant, contested the Assembly polls from the Dumka seat and humbled former deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi. Sushila Hansda of the JMM, who was a sitting party legislator in the last Assembly, was not in the fray from her Litipara constituency this time, but her husband, Simon Marandi, contested on JMM ticket and won the seat.
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Former chief minister Madhu Koda, an MP, allegedly involved in the Rs 2,000-crore money laundering scam did not contest the polls, but his wife, Geeta Koda, romped home from his Jagannathpur seat.
Former state Assembly Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari, at present an MP, did not contest, and fielded his son, Dilip Singh Namdhari, from the Daltonganj seat in the Assembly polls. However, his son lost to Congress candidate K Tripathy.
Former minister Bhanu Pratap Sahi, whose father Hemendra Pratap Sahi was also a minister earlier, had contested the Bhawanathpur seat this time, but lost to Anant Pratap Deo of the Congress. Former deputy chief minister and senior JMM leader Sudhir Mahato, who lost the Ichagarh seat this time, is the brother of late Nirmal Mahato, a founder member of the JMM.
Amit Yadav, the son of BJP MLA Chittaranjan Yadav who died after filing his nomination from the Barkatta seat, contested and won the seat after he was given ticket by the saffron party.
The late father of S N Singh, Congress MLA from Hazaribag, was an MLA in undivided Bihar.