Jharkhand election results: How turncoats performed in polls
Switching sides were the order of the day in the run up to the Jharkhand Assembly election. There was no particular pattern to guess which way the election wind was blowing. Leaders were joining the BJP and also the rival camp. In the end, the parties fielded about one-and-half-a-dozen candidates who were turncoats.
Three former Jharkhand Congress chiefs quit and joined the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party, the BJP and the JMM. Pradeep Kumar Balmachu joined the AJSU and was fielded from Ghatshila assembly constituency, where he was trailing at number three after the BJP and the JMM.
Sukhdeo Bhagat moved to the BJP, and was promptly fielded by the party from Lohardaga seat. He was trailing at number three in Lohardaga after the AJSU and the Congress.
Sarfaraz Ahmad, the doctor switched to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) – and ally of the Congress – and was fielded by Hemant Soren’s party from Gandey. He was also trailing to BJP’s Jai Prakash Verma.
That is, all three who left the Congress did not get an approval of the voters in Jharkhand.
QUARTET THAT QUIT BJP
The BJP too suffered huge blows going into the Jharkhand Assembly election. Its chief whip Radhakrishna Kishore joined the AJSU to contest the polls from Chattarpur, which he had won in 2014. But he was trailing at third position behind Pushpa Devi of the BJP and Vijay Kumar of the RJD.
Former minister Baidyanath Ram quit the BJP and joined the JMM, sitting MLA Tala Marandi quit the BJP and the AJSU and another sitting MLA Phoolchand Mandal quit the BJP to join JMM.ADVERTISEMENT
Baidyanath Ram was leading over his BJP rival at Latehar. But Tala Marandi was trailing at Borio (polling around 3,500 votes) behind the JMM and the BJP candidates.
Phoolchand Mandal joined the list of turncoats who were trailing in Jharkhand Assembly election. Contesting as JMM candidate from Sindri, Mandal trailed at number three after BJP rival Indrajit Mahato and Anand Mahato of Marxist Co-Ordination party.
Three of the four BJP leaders who switched sides ahead of election did not find favour with the votes in Jharkhand Assembly polls.
FIVE WHO JUMPED JMM SHIP
Five prominent JMM leaders were in the fray having joined other party. JMM MLA from Pakur Aquil Akhtar joined AJSU before election and was fielded from his own seat. But it did not help Akhtar in election. Under the seat-sharing agreement, the JMM offered this seat to the Congress, and Akhtar was trailing at this seat after the Congress and the BJP candidates.
Sitting MLA from Baharagora Kunal Shadangi quit the JMM to join the BJP, which nominated him from his constituency. But in the election, the voters preferred the JMM candidate Samir Mohanty at Baharagora seat. The margin was well over 50 percentage point.
Pradeep Yadav, who turned his coat from the JMM to the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM) of former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, was in the contention at Poreyahat constituency in Jharkhand Assembly election. Pradeep Yadav was leading over his BJP rival Gajdhar Singh while the JMM candidate was at a distant third. He was among the few turncoats to lead in the Jharkhand Assembly election.
There was another JMM leader who joined the BJP and hit headlines – Shashi Bhushan Mehta. The BJP fielded Shashi Bhushan Mehta, who joined the party ahead of Jharkhand Assembly election, from Panki.
Shashi Bhushan Mehtra is an accused in a murder case. Shashi Bhushan Mehta faces the charge of killing a teacher working in his school. He was leading over Congress’s Devendra Singh at Panki.
JMM leader and sitting MLA from Mandu, Jai Prakash Bhai Patel joined the BJP ahead of Jharkhand Assembly election. But as BJP candidate, Patel was trailing at number three after the AJSUP and the JMM nominees.
That is, three of five who quit JMM did not get a vote of approval in Jharkhand election.
OTHER TUNRCOATS
Among other party-hoppers, ex-RJD MLA Janardan Paswan and sitting Congress MLA from Barhi Manoj Yadav joined the BJP. Janardan Paswan contested as BJP nominee from Chatra seat. But he trailed to RJD’s candidate Satyanand Bhokta. Janardan Paswan had won this seat in 2014.
Manoj Yadav, who switched from the Congress to the BJP, contested from his own seat Barhi. But he trailed to Congress’s Umashankar Akela at this seat.
The case of Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta is curious. He had won the Hussainabad seat as a BSP candidate in 2014 but this time, he contested as AJSU Party nominee. He was at fifth position behind the NCP, the BSP, the RJD and the BJP-supported Independent candidate Vinod Singh.ADVERTISEMENT
Former health minister and Independent MLA Bhanu Pratap Sahi joined the BJP and contested from Bhawanathpur. He was the sitting MLA from this seat. He was leading from his seat and his lead seems to be guided his own influence over the Bhawanathpur constituency.
Of 16 turncoat candidates analysed here, only four have got approval of the voters in Jharkhand Assembly election – two for the BJP, and one each for the JMM and the JMV. Two of them had quit the JMM – for BJP and JVM each – were leading. Another was Baidyanth Ram who left the BJP – for the JMM. The other turncoat leading was Bhanu Pratap Shashi.Read | Why BJP lost Jharkhand Assembly electionAlso read | All updates on Jharkhand Election Results.
Baidyanath Ram was leading over his BJP rival at Latehar. But Tala Marandi was trailing at Borio (polling around 3,500 votes) behind the JMM and the BJP candidates.
Phoolchand Mandal joined the list of turncoats who were trailing in Jharkhand Assembly election. Contesting as JMM candidate from Sindri, Mandal trailed at number three after BJP rival Indrajit Mahato and Anand Mahato of Marxist Co-Ordination party.
Three of the four BJP leaders who switched sides ahead of election did not find favour with the votes in Jharkhand Assembly polls.
FIVE WHO JUMPED JMM SHIP
Five prominent JMM leaders were in the fray having joined other party. JMM MLA from Pakur Aquil Akhtar joined AJSU before election and was fielded from his own seat. But it did not help Akhtar in election. Under the seat-sharing agreement, the JMM offered this seat to the Congress, and Akhtar was trailing at this seat after the Congress and the BJP candidates.
Sitting MLA from Baharagora Kunal Shadangi quit the JMM to join the BJP, which nominated him from his constituency. But in the election, the voters preferred the JMM candidate Samir Mohanty at Baharagora seat. The margin was well over 50 percentage point.
Pradeep Yadav, who turned his coat from the JMM to the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM) of former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, was in the contention at Poreyahat constituency in Jharkhand Assembly election. Pradeep Yadav was leading over his BJP rival Gajdhar Singh while the JMM candidate was at a distant third. He was among the few turncoats to lead in the Jharkhand Assembly election.
There was another JMM leader who joined the BJP and hit headlines – Shashi Bhushan Mehta. The BJP fielded Shashi Bhushan Mehta, who joined the party ahead of Jharkhand Assembly election, from Panki.
Shashi Bhushan Mehtra is an accused in a murder case. Shashi Bhushan Mehta faces the charge of killing a teacher working in his school. He was leading over Congress’s Devendra Singh at Panki.
JMM leader and sitting MLA from Mandu, Jai Prakash Bhai Patel joined the BJP ahead of Jharkhand Assembly election. But as BJP candidate, Patel was trailing at number three after the AJSUP and the JMM nominees.
That is, three of five who quit JMM did not get a vote of approval in Jharkhand election.
OTHER TUNRCOATS
Among other party-hoppers, ex-RJD MLA Janardan Paswan and sitting Congress MLA from Barhi Manoj Yadav joined the BJP. Janardan Paswan contested as BJP nominee from Chatra seat. But he trailed to RJD’s candidate Satyanand Bhokta. Janardan Paswan had won this seat in 2014.
Manoj Yadav, who switched from the Congress to the BJP, contested from his own seat Barhi. But he trailed to Congress’s Umashankar Akela at this seat.
The case of Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta is curious. He had won the Hussainabad seat as a BSP candidate in 2014 but this time, he contested as AJSU Party nominee. He was at fifth position behind the NCP, the BSP, the RJD and the BJP-supported Independent candidate Vinod Singh.
Former health minister and Independent MLA Bhanu Pratap Sahi joined the BJP and contested from Bhawanathpur. He was the sitting MLA from this seat. He was leading from his seat and his lead seems to be guided his own influence over the Bhawanathpur constituency.
Of 16 turncoat candidates analysed here, only four have got approval of the voters in Jharkhand Assembly election – two for the BJP, and one each for the JMM and the JMV. Two of them had quit the JMM – for BJP and JVM each – were leading. Another was Baidyanth Ram who left the BJP – for the JMM. The other turncoat leading was Bhanu Pratap Shashi.