JMM candidate Bebi Devi won the Dumri bypolls in Jharkhand's Giridih district on Friday by defeating AJSU Party nominee Yashoda Devi by 17,153 votes, an election official said.
The JMM candidate, who is also the INDIA bloc nominee, got about 1,00,317 votes while NDA candidate Yashoda Devi bagged 83,164 votes after 24 rounds of counting votes, the official said.
Giridih deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer Naman Priyesh Lakra told PTI, "The counting of votes passed off peacefully. JMM's Bebi Devi won the election with a margin of 17,153 votes."
According to political experts, AIMIM votes shifted to JMM that helped victory of its candidate.
Bebi Devi is the wife former Jharkhand minister Jagarnath Mahto, whose death in April necessitated the by-election.
'True tribute' to Mahto
She termed her victory as a 'true tribute' to Mahto who had represented the seat since 2004. "As promised, I will now complete the incomplete work of Mahto," she said.
The Soren government has already given Devi the status of a cabinet minister. She was sworn in as minister on July 3.
Extending his gratitude to the people of Dumri, chief minister wrote on X, "This tremendous victory of Dumri is the beginning of 2024. The people have decided that only democracy will work in Jharkhand, not money system. Only and only the government of Jharkhandis will run here. The deceit and arrogance of BJP and AJSU are now sure to be wiped out from Jharkhand."
He said, "The Jharkhand government will work to fulfill the dreams and unfinished tasks of late Jagarnath da." Jharkhand BJP president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi alleged, "It is clear from the election results that it is the defeat of Hemant government and victory of appeasement."
"The entire machinery of the Hemant government was engaged in threatening the voters. Party workers were abducted. Houses were raided. Money power was used extensively, yet the public strongly attacked the failures of the state government," he said.
The polling for the by-election was held on September 5. Of the total 2.98 lakh eligible voters, 64.84 per cent had cast their votes.
Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM had fielded Md Abdul Mobin Rizvi as its candidate. Owaisi also campaigned for its candidate in Dumri, hoping to make inroads in the state.
AIMIM managed only 3,472 votes
Rizvi, however, was able to manage only 3,472 votes, which was even lower than the NOTA votes of 3,650. Rizvi was in fourth position with 24,132 votes in 2019 assembly elections.
Rizvi told reporters, "The way a tampered video showing pro-Pakistan slogans raised during a rally was made viral caused loss to me in the election." The AIMIM candidate is facing an FIR for alleged 'pro-Pakistan' slogan raised during party chief Asaduddin Owaisi's public rally in Giridih on August 30.
As per the Election Commission, JMM's vote share was 51.76 per cent, while that of the AJSU party was 42.91 per cent.
This was the sixth bypoll since the Hemant Soren-led coalition government came to power in December 2019.
Earlier, five assembly constituencies - Dumka, Bermo, Madhupur, Mandar and Ramgarh - went to by-elections.
The JMM retained the Dumka and Madhupur seats, while the Congress won the Bermo and Mandar seats. Ramgarh assembly seat went to AJSU Party. With victory of Bebi Devi, JMM's MLA strength in assembly again rose to 30 and its coalition to 48 including 17 MLAs of Congress and one of RJD in the 81-member Jharkhand House.
The BJP has 26 members and AJSU Party three. The NCP and CPI (ML) have one lawmaker each, apart from two Independents.
(With inputs from PTI)
