Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch workers drum up support for Bandhu Tirkey, who filed his nomination in Ranchi on Tuesday. Picture by Manik Bose

Ranchi, Nov. 10: Former human resource development minister Bandhu Tirkey, who is under the vigilance scanner for owning a flat worth Rs 1.8 crore in New Delhi, has shown in his affidavit during filing of nomination that he is “landless” and “homeless”.

A cabinet colleague of Madhu Koda, Tirkey joined the fray today from Mandar Assembly constituency as a Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch candidate.

Tirkey has declared that he owns assets worth just Rs 9 lakh, including Rs 75,000 in cash, Rs 29,692.58 as deposits in banks, financial institutions and non-financial companies besides 7.96 lakh in the form of insurance policies and shares. He has further shown that he owns only a Maruti Van purchased after taking a vehicle loan from Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha. But, interestingly, he has not declared any land or house.

The former state minister, also booked by the Enforcement Directorate for amassing illegal wealth, has shown fixed deposits and insurance policies worth around Rs 2.5 lakh in the names of his daughters, Shilpi Neha Tirkey and Sonal Nisha Tirkey.

However, he has mentioned about all the 10 criminal cases pending against him at different courts of the district. Giving description of the offences, he said he is accused of cheating, fraud, forgery, criminal conspiracy, taking gratification other than legal gratification by corrupt or illegal means.

Other offences mentioned are using criminal force to deter a public servant to do his duty, insult intended to provoke breach of peace, unlawful assembly, wrongful restrain, mischief by injury to public road, river bridge, fire or explosive substance and theft.

Tirkey bagged a seat in the state Assembly for the first time in 2005 after winning Mandar Assembly constituency on a United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) ticket.

Apart from Tirkey, five others today filed nomination from four constituencies that will go to polls in the second phase. While Congress candidate Deo Kumar Dhan joined the fray from Mandar, Independent candidates Baji Munda and Jovakim Amritlal Tigga completed the formalities from Khijri.

Panchanan Swansi and Ghanshyam Singh Munda filed nominations from Silli and Tamar, respectively. Both are Independent candidates.

With this, the total number of candidates, who have filed nomination for the second phase of elections in the district till now, reached 15.