Jharkhand by-polls: 3rd member of Soren family elected in a ruling alliance show

The ruling allies Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress retained their assembly seats in the Jharkhand by-polls on Tuesday, even as Basant Soren, youngest of the three sons of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren, became the third person of the political family to become a member of the current Jharkhand assembly.

41-year-old Basant defeated former BJP minister Lois Marandi by over 6,842 votes in party stronghold of Dumka, the constituency vacated by his elder brother and incumbent chief minister Hemant Soren after he won Dumka and Barahit in December 2019 assembly elections and decided to retain the latter.

Sita Soren, wife of late Durga Soren, eldest son of Shibu Soren, represents Jama seat in the Jharkhand assembly. JMM chief Shibu Soren is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha.

In Bermo assembly seat, Jai Mangal Singh, son of Congress veteran Rajendra Singh, won by over 14,225 votes, defeating former BJP legislator Yogeshwar Mahto Batul. The seat fell vacant after Rajendra Singh, who was representing the seat for the sixth time, died of illness in May.

The ruling JMM-Congress-RJD combine had won a comfortable majority in the assembly polls in December, and just over 10 months later they retained the two seats in the by-polls.

The result would give the alliance a political boost as the opposition BJP had been targeting the Hemant Soren-led government over a host of issues including law and order, implementation of electoral promises and health management during the corona pandemic, besides alleged nepotism.