The curtain has risen on Jharkhand’s 48 urban local body election results, unveiling a patchwork mandate where BJP, Congress, JMM, and independents all claimed territories. These February 23 polls, the first in eight years, covered 9 corporations, 20 parishads, and 19 panchayats, with partial counts from Friday spotlighting key battles.
Ranchi’s mayoral stakes saw BJP’s Rosni Khalkho commanding a 30,000-vote buffer against Congress rival Rama Khalkho, affirming saffron strength in the capital. Independents, however, rewrote scripts in multiple hubs.
Hazaribagh Mayor Arvind Kumar Rana (independent) triumphed with 23,500 votes over Sarfaraz Ahmad. Jameel Akhtar won Chas. In Jamtara, independent Asha Gupta’s 6,880 votes ousted BJP; JMM’s Somvari Soren took Chakuliya narrowly.
Notable victors: Arvind Gupta (Chhatarpur), BJP’s Rani Tuti (Khunti), Arpita Das (Barharwa), Jitendra Uraon (Bundu), Bhawna Gupta (Rajmahal), Vinay Santhalaya (Dhanwar), Umesh Verma (Domchanch), Mahesh Singh (Latehar). Chairpersons: Ramnath Paswan (Sahibganj), Shabari Pal (Pakur), Sushil Ramani (Godda), BJP’s Anil Uraon (Lohardaga), Shakuntala Uraon (Gumla).
Further elects include Sajid Hussain Lalu (Koderma), Ajay Bharti (Hussainabad), Sheela Choudhary (Hariharganj), Prabodh Soren (Mahagama), Ashish Soni (Garhwa), Nitin Prakash (Chaibasa), Sunny Uraon (Chakradharpur), Jayashree Devi (Mihijam), Sunita Devi (Chir Kund), Abhishek Chaurasiya (Dumka).
Ramgarh’s Congress hopeful Kusumlata Kumari maintained lead post-seven rounds. Non-partisan by design, yet party-orchestrated campaigns render these a litmus test for broader clout. Saturday promises complete clarity on Jharkhand’s urban political map.