Mahto nicknamed Tiger by his supporters for fearless personality

Bokaro: Jagarnath Mahto was a popular political figure and a resident of Alargo under the Chandrapura Block of the Bokaro. A four-time JMM MLA from the Dumri constituency, Mahto served as the education and excise minister till he breathed his last in Chennai on Thursday.
People in the constituency thronged his ‘janta darbar’ with their grievances instead of going to the police to seek justice. Mahto never tolerated injustice and reacted to it aggressively. Combined with this quality and his unique political career, Mahto earned the title of ‘Tiger’ from his supporters.
Jai Sharan Gope, a resident of Bhandaridah, said, “Mahto was popularly known as Tiger because of his daring acts and he never tolerated injustice to anyone. He fought for people’s rights and helped others without a second thought. Even small children in his constituency loved him and whenever he got time, he would go out and play with them on the ground. He was well-connected with the residents and they admired him.”
A well-known mass leader, Mahto gained popularity after defeating veteran Lalchand Mahto in the 2004 election. He was known for his unique style, daring stunts and statements that caught the media’s attention. Despite being the state’s education minister, Mahto decided to go back to school to complete his 10+2 education at 53 and got enrolled in the Devi Mahto Memorial Inter College located in his village in August 2020. He completed his matriculation at the age of 29 from the Nehru High School in Telo in 1995. He was admitted to Class XI to complete the intermediate course in arts in the same institution which he had helped set up in 2005.
Mahto had said he had left school when he joined the statehood movement. He began his political career by joining Jharkhand’s legendary leader Vinod Bihari Mahato. During the statehood movement, Mahto had to face police action several times. After Vinod Bihari’s death, Mahto became close to Raj Kishore Mahto, an ex-MP from Giridih. He contested the assembly election for the first time in 2000 from the Samata Party but lost to BJP’s Lalchand Mahto. Despite that, JMM supremo Shibu Soren noticed him and brought him into the party fold.