Jharkhand: "Party denied ticket? Jump ship and grab one." This seems to be the mantra of ambitious leaders who have warmed up for the winter polls. Interestingly, no party can question the loyalty of leaders deserting it as turncoats are everywhere - in the BJP, Congress, JD(U), RJD, JMM and JVM.
Most of the ex-MLAs who lost in the previous Jharkhand elections are trying their luck again, after jumping boats. In other words, most of the candidates who are in the fray for the first round of Assembly polls were losers in 2009. As election nominations are locked for the first round of Assembly polls, here's a detailed analysis of the previous election results and an effort to catch the mood of the contestants (a majority of them being turncoats).
2 party chiefs and sitting MLAs lost in 2009
Jharkhand Congress chief Sukhdeo Bhagat, who lost the 2009 elections as the sitting MLA, figured in the first list of 14. RJD's Jharkhand chief Girinath Singh who was defeated by Satyendra Nath Tiwari of JVM in 2009 is contesting again. Other big names that lost in the previous elections are Bhanu Pratap, Kamlesh Singh and Radha Krishna Kishore. BJP leader Satyanand Bhokta, who joined JVM after being denied ticket, filed his papers from Chatra (SC) seat. They proved their mettle in 2005, but could not repeat success in 2009. Since they are not newcomers to this game, it will be interesting to watch the December
23 results live.
A total of 222 contestants have filed nominations for 13 of the 81 Jharkhand Assembly seats for the first phase.
Only 2 contestants could retain their seats in 2009
Among the 13 Assembly seats, only two candidates could retain their seats in the 2009 state polls. The voters gave an opportunity to new figures and rejected the existing ones in 11 Assembly seats. Videsh Singh, in the first phase of polls, was lucky enough to have won his seat again in 2009, after his 2005 success in Panki.
3 sitting MLAs jump boats
Three existing MLAs in the first phase have jumped boats and are contesting on tickets of other parties. Satyendra Tiwari, who won Garhwa seat on JMM ticket is contesting on BJP ticket this time. Anant Pratap Dev, a Congress MLA from Bhawnathpur, has too joined the BJP and contesting from the same seat. Vishunpur MLA Chamra Linda, an eminent Congress leader, is now contesting on JMM ticket.
Reacting on threat to parties by turncoats, a senior Marxist Coordination Committee member of Jharkhand mockingly asked, "Have you ever wondered why none of the parties have fielded candidates from all the 81 seats?" He further said, "this trend of changing sides is harmful for politics and proves that leaders and parties both have forgotten ideologies. Only the Left has never compromised over its ideology and stayed away from this politics of opportunism."
"Saffron, green or red, colours don't matter at all. Of all things tickets are the most important and politics of opportunism has touched a new high," he added.
2 MLAs denied tickets
Two exiting MLAs have not been given tickets by their parties for 2014 polls. Latehar MLA and former minister Baidyanath Ram and Gumla MLA Kamlesh Oraon were not lucky this time. Both belong to the BJP and haven't jumped boats for tickets as is the trend in this election.
The then MLA from Daltongamj, Inder Singh Namdhari, did not contest in 2009. This time he has fielded his son Dilip Singh Namdhari from Daltonganj as an Independent.
Phase 1: 2005 vs 2009
In eight seats of first round polls in 2005, RJD secured victory on four seats, BJP and JD(U) could win two each. In the nine seats of 2009 round one, BJP and Congress got three each while RJD won in two and JD(U) in one. Now that the equations have changed with JD(U), Congress and RJD fighting together, it will be a litmus test for the BJP to prove the worth of the so-called Modi wave.
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