All major political parties are gearing up to lock their horns in the upcoming municipal elections, being considered as the litmus test for the ultimate big fight i.e. Lok Sabha election next year.
Taking into account, the change in norms like contesting election independently, two children policy for ward councilors after February 2012, some political parties have prepared the name-lists while others seem to be brainstorming on the names of eligible candidates who could register their strong presence among the electorates.
Following the expectation and inclination of parties towards five major municipal corporations - Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Medininagar, Giridih and Adityapur that are all set for the poll to select the top best elected representatives, key players like Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC) have decided the candidates’ name and will officially release the names of the contestants soon.
Beginning with the ruling party – BJP after registering historic victory in North-Eastern (NE) regions in assembly elections is confident of a clean sweep in the municipal poll – 2018 here as well.
BJP Mahanagar state president Manoj Mishra said that several names of contestants for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor are under consideration. They included Asha Lakra, Sujata Kacchap, Ajay Tirkey, Nakul Tirkey and Ashok Baraik.
“A few of them have presented their report card recently, and senior party officials are analyzing the records of the candidates. All names for these posts will be cleared latest by March 15,” Mishra added.
Saffron brigade’s biggest competitor, Congress, is leaving no stone unturned to defeat its counterparts, Congress party spokesperson Rakesh Sinha said, “From Ranchi Rama Khalkho will contest the election for Mayor post while for the post of Deputy Mayor, Lokesh Khalkho, Ajay Tirkey, Rakesh Gupta and Rajaal Verma names have been finalized. Soon a meeting of screening committee will be conducted and an official announcement will be done.”
The JMM too seems to have selected its best candidates to grab the top seats in the upcoming election registering its presence in the State’s biggest Urban Local Body (ULB). JMM spokesperson Vinod Pandey said, “The preparation is going on. For the post of Mayor here in Ranchi names like Varsha Gari, Biru Tirkey and Kathrina Tirkey has been finalized. Arun Kumar Verma, Ratish Kumar Dwivedi, Mohammad Aslam, Asraf Khan, Nitin Agarwal and Gautam Tiwari are likely to contest on party ticket for the post of Deputy Mayor. Shortlisted names will be made public on March 15.”
While a few political parties have taken instant decisions in finalizing the names, some parties like JVM and AJSU have kept the names of candidates under wrap. AJSU spokesperson Dev Sharan Bhagat said that only after March 16, he will be in a position to reveal the names of top candidates for municipal poll.
Meanwhile, Babulal Marandi’s JVM-P has kept its card close to its chest. “Soon, the party high command will make the announcement that whether we will fight independently or go for a coalition to ruin BJP’s dominance. Status will be cleared by March 15,” said JVM spokesperson Tauhid Alam.