Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu

Jamshedpur, June 21: The Jamshedpur by-election has presented a golden opportunity for former legislators, who were humbled in the 2009 Assembly election, to recover lost ground.

The likes of BJP’s Sarayu Roy and Rakhi Rai, JMM’s Dulal Bhuiyan and Amulya Sardar and Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu of the Congress are not only working overtime for their respective party nominees for the parliamentary bypoll, but also strengthening their base with an eye on the 2014 state polls.

Roy lost his Jamshedpur West seat to Banna Gupta of the Congress, while Rai and Bhuiyan were defeated by Ajsu’s Ramchandra Sahis in Jugsalai. Balmuchu, a three-time legislator from Ghatshila, finished second to JMM’s Ramdas Soren, whereas Subodh Sardar of the Congress was tamed by BJP’s firebrand leader Meneka Sardar in Potka.

Though former health minister Dinesh Sarangi of the saffron brigade lost the Baharagora seat to JMM’s Vidyut Baran Mahto, the bespectacled leader, who is a doctor, is remaining aloof from any poll activity. According to sources, Sarangi is not very amused with his party after being denied a ticket for the by-election. The BJP veteran recently met JVM supremo Babulal Marandi, sparking off a debate about his next step.

Bhuiyan, a former revenue minister, has taken charge of party nominee Sudhir Mahto’s campaign in Jugsalai with a dual motive. The JMM leader, who was also a ticket aspirant for the Lok Sabha bypoll, is focusing on his Assembly segment to not only shore up votes for Mahto but also make a dent in Ajsu’s vote bank.

“Is baar to Ajsu ko maja chakhana hain (We have to teach Ajsu a lesson this time),” a confidant of Bhuiyan said, adding that the JMM leader lost in the state election because of bickering within the party.

“Hum naye josh ke saath maidan main hain (We are on the field with renewed vigour),” he added. Bhuiyan has managed to win back local leaders in Patamda who had left the JMM to join Ajsu. His presence during Sudhir’s campaigns in Patamda, a Mahto-dominated block, has attracted sizeable crowds.

Supporters of Roy have also switched gears to regain lost ground for their leader. Besides focussing on Kadma, Sonari and Bistupur, the cadres are also active in Mango, a Muslim-dominated locality that helped Banna triumph two years ago. “We had committed some mistakes in the last Assembly polls but these won’t be repeated. Besides campaigning for party candidate Dineshanand Goswami, we are trying to strengthen our leader’s base,” a supporter of Roy said.

Rakhi, who was earlier with the Ajsu, is also making her presence felt in Jugsalai. She had remained dormant after her loss, but the parliamentary hustings have pulled her to join the campaign trail. Rakhi is regularly holding meetings with her supporters to devise strategies on winning the confidence of voters. “Mehnat to karna hi padega. Jamshedpur seat hamari party ke paas hi rahegi (We will have to work hard. Jamshedpur seat will remain ours),” she said.

Denial of a ticket has come as a blessing in disguise for Balmuchu, whose supporters have been vocal in their resentment against Banna’s candidacy. The state Congress president, who was a frontrunner for the ticket, has managed to consolidate his base in Ghatshila. The imbroglio in the party only inspired Balmuchu’s supporters to rally behind him, sources added. The tribal leader’s contribution to the party was also lauded by Jharkhand Congress in-charge Shakeel Ahmed during his visit to Jamshedpur last week.