Ramgarh assembly bye-election on Feb 27, result on March 2

RANCHI: Around 3.34 lakh voters of the Ramgarh constituency would exercise their franchise on February 27 to decide who would be their next representative in the Jharkhand Assembly.

The Election Commission of India on Wednesday announced the by-election date for the assembly seat, which was vacated after Congress legislator Mamta Devi was disqualified on December 26 following her conviction, and was awarded five years imprisonment in a 2016 rioting and attempt to murder case.

“The model code of conduct will kick in Ramgarh on January 31, while February 7 is the last date of nomination. Polling would be held on February 27, while votes would be counted on March 2,” said Jharkhand chief electoral officer K Ravi Kumar.

Congress’ Mamta Devi had won the seat in 2019 with a handsome margin of 28,718 votes, defeating All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party’s Sunita Chaudhary, wife of Giridih Lok Sabha representative CP Chaudhary in a three-corner contest. NDA allies BJP and AJSU Party had parted ways in the 2019 assembly polls, impacting the poll fortunes of both the parties. BJP’s Raushan Kumar got 31,874 votes, sizeably more than the victory margin.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Sinha said while the two parties are set to contest the bypoll together, they are yet to decide on candidature.

“We are old allies and will go in the polls together with a common target of winning the seat. However, we are yet to decide who will field the candidate and who will be the candidate. Today, the date has been announced. Senior leaders of both parties will soon be sitting together and decide on the candidature,” said Sinha.

Sources in AJSU Party said since the seat has been their traditional stronghold, with CP Chaudhary representing the seat from 2005 to 2019 till the time he won the Giridih Lok Sabha seat in alliance with the BJP, they are prepared to field their candidate again.

“The party has already appointed in charges at the block level. The party is all likely to field Sunita Chaudhary,” a senior AJSU Party leader said.

Meanwhile, the Congress, which is ruling the state in alliance with JMM and the RJD, is all set to field Balram Mahto, husband of jailed legislator Mamta Devi, on its symbol. On his visit to the state last week, Jharkhand Congress in-charge Avinash Pande had met Mamata Devi in Hazaribag jail. Later he had alleged that Devi became a victim of conspiracy by the opponents.

“The date has been announced today. The party leadership would decide on its candidate in due course. However, we are confident that the people of Ramgarh will reply to the opponents through their votes and expose the conspiracy to frame our MLA. Congress will again emerge victorious and continue the development work in the state,” said Jharkhand Congress general secretary Rakesh Sinha.