JMM retains Silli and Gomia assembly seats in Jh'khand

Ranchi: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which was supported by Congress and other opposition parties, on Thursday retained both Silli and Gomia assembly seats in the by-election, ringing an alarm bell for the ruling BJP ahead of the general election next year.

In Gomia, JMM candidate Babita Devi, who bagged 60,551 votes, defeated AJSU (All Jharkhand Students Union) nominee Lambodar Mahto by 1,344 votes while the BJP's Madhavlal Singh stood third with 42,037 votes, Chief Electoral Officer L Khiangte said. In Silli, JMM's Seema Mahto defeated AJSU chief and former state Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahto by 13,508 votes.

Both the seats were with the JMM. A buoyed JMM chief Hemant Soren described it as victory of opposition unity and said "its heat is bound to reach Delhi." The bypolls were necessitated following the conviction of JMM MLAs Yogendra Mahto and Amit Mahto in coal theft and assault cases respectively.

The successful outcome of the byelection, in which JMM got the support of Congress, RJD and JVM of former Chief Minister Babu Lal Marandi, has given a boost to the votaries of opposition unity against the BJP in the 2019 parliamentary polls.

While in Silli, the BJP and its ally AJSU were together, in Gomia seat they fielded their candidates against each other and at the end paid the price with a defeat.