JMM retains Littipara seat in Jharkhand, humiliating defeat for BJP

Shashank Shekhar

Ranchi ( Jharkhand) : JMM candidate Simon Marandi won Littipara assembly seat defeating ruling BJP  senior leader and former minister Hemlal Murmu by 12,900 votes. JMM candidate polled 65,551 votes while BJP candidate polled 52,651 votes. The JMM retained the seat.

Leading from very first round, the JMM candidate took early lead in first two rounds of more than 1,301 votes  but in the third round BJP candidate narrowed the margin by 77 votes  but after that JMM candidate started taking  comfortable lead till the 11^th round  of more than 7,000 votes. Later, the margin was cut short by BJP candidate in  12^th , 13^th and 14^th round  making it closer by taking  lead  in all these four rounds by 76, 2,198  and 872 votes respectively but at the end  of 14^th round the lead was 5,863 votes in favour of Simon Marandi.

After 14^th round, the JMM candidate never looked back and kept on increasing his margin  in every round which after 19^th round rose to 12,643 votes assuring the victory  of Simon Marandi which he finally won by 12,900 votes.

Giving him comments on victory Marandi, JMM senior leader and former  chief minister Hemant Soren said that the present CM Raghubar Das left no stone unturned to wrest this seat  adopting several illegal means and along with his cabinet ministers camped at Littipara but people of Sathal Pargana  gave him a befitting reply by rejecting BJP candidate. “This is start of downfall of Raghubar Das led BJP government,” stated junior Soren.