Dulal Bhuiyan

Ranchi, Nov. 5: Santhal Pargana strongman Devidhan Besra joined the JMM today, but Dulal Bhuiyan’s desperate comeback bid in the hope of getting a ticket from Jugsalai was quashed with Hemant Soren deciding against fielding him and the party falling back on technicalities to explain its action.

The JMM, which came out with its third list of candidates today, has chosen little-known Mangal Kalindi over the veteran Bhuiyan, who quit the BJP yesterday and called on the chief minister to dramatically describe his return to the JMM as a “homecoming”.

But, as it now transpires, the “homecoming” wasn’t complete. Bhuiyan, a former land reforms and revenue minister who represented JMM from Jugsalai from 1995 to 2009 before crossing over to JVM three years ago and then to BJP this August, had not been “officially” accepted by the Sorens — a factor that kept him out from today’s list.

“Bhuiyan is yet to formally join the party. Let him first complete the formalities after which the party will decide where to field him from,” JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya told The Telegraph.

In hoping that Hemant and his father Shibu Soren would consider him for Jugslai, a seat he was denied by the BJP, Bhuiyan had clearly overestimated his chances.

“I wanted my name to figure on the list of candidates announced today, but the chief minister insisted that I join the JMM first. But if the JMM has declared someone else as its nominee for Jugsalai, I may fight as an Independent,” said a disappointed Bhuiyan, refusing to elaborate any further.

Jamua MLA Chandrika Mahtha, who also left the BJP to join the JMM, however, stood to gain with the party declaring him as a candidate from his own seat in Giridih district.

Like Bhuiyan, Mahtha, who was earlier with the JMM and joined BJP recently, announced his decision to return to the JMM yesterday. Today, he moved swiftly and formally joined the party along with three-time MLA from Maheshpur (in Santhal Pargana) Devidhan Besra.

Along with them, athlete Budhwa Oraon and several other leaders completed formalities at Soren Senior’s Morabadi residence, giving a huge boost to the JMM ahead of the Assembly polls.

Former MP Besra’s induction is sure to strengthen the party’s prospects in its bastion, Santhal Pargana. “People are coming with me and the JMM. What could be better than this?” said Shibu Soren

Asked whether he was an opportunist, Besra, who had been the BJP’s face in Santhal Pargana till recently but was denied a ticket to contest from Rajmahal during the parliamentary elections, said, “For me, this is not about joining JMM, but returning back home. JMM will get all the 18 seats of Santhal Pargana now.”

The BJP had chosen to field JMM turncoat Hemlal Murmu from Rajmahal in the Lok Sabha polls. However, Murmu lost to JMM’s youth candidate Vijay Hansda, who was picked up from the Congress by none other than Hemant himself.

In Santhal Pargana, the JMM has two MPs, Shibu Soren (Dumka) and Vijay Hansda (Rajmahal). It won 10 of 18 seats in the 2009 Assembly elections.

The mood was upbeat in the JMM camp as leaders and their supporters started arriving in Ranchi in hordes since early morning. Many were seen approaching Soren’s trusted lieutenants — Supriyo Bhattacharya and Vinod Kumar Pandey — for tickets, but the two only entertained a select few.

The other party nominees were: Sanjeev Kumar Tiwary (Daltonganj),

Anwar Hussain Ansari (Vishrampur), Virendra Kumar Paswan (Chhatarpur), Vijayalakshmi Devi (Bhavnathpur), Kunal Sadangi (Bahragora), Mangal Singh Bobonga (Jagannathpur), Jigga Susaran Horo (Sisai), Louis Kujur (Kolebira), Sanjeev Bedia (Barkagaon), Vinod Kisku (Ramgarh), Sudivya Kumar (Giridih), Ashok Mandal (Nirsa), M.T. Raja (Rajmahal), Ashok Choudhary (Poraiyahat).