Garhwa: The two assembly constituencies in Garhwa district – Garhwa and Bhawnathpur – witnessed a dramatic shift in their political landscape with a huge change in the voting patterns.
While BJP candidate Satyendra Nath Tiwari defeated incumbent JMM MLA and minister Mithilesh Kumar Thakur by 16,672 votes to reclaim the Garhwa seat after five years, in Bhawnathpur, JMM strongman Anant Pratap Deo secured victory over BJP candidate Bhanu Pratap Shahi with a margin of 21,135 votes.Despite JMM's historically weak presence in the Bhawnathpur constituency, political analysts consider Deo's victory a significant boost for the party. Thakur, known for his strong base and developmental initiatives during his five-year tenure, faced an unexpected defeat in Garwah. JMM leader Tanvir Khan attributed Tiwari's victory to BJP's religious polarisation strategy. "BJP's Hindu-Muslim narrative, coupled with PM Modi and Amit Shah's visits to Garhwa, helped the party," he claimed.