Anjali Kumari (right) with Yashwant Sinha in Hazaribagh on Thursday. Picture by Vishvendu Jaipuriar.

BJP-backed Anjali Kumari was elected chairperson of the Hazaribagh Municipal Board on Thursday, her victory bringing upon a rare smile on the face of local MP Yashwant Sinha who had made the election a prestige issue.

Kumari defeated her nearest rival, the Congress-backed Champa Devi, by a margin of over 6,600 votes, a good margin in itself, given that the civic election had ultimately become a hard fought contest between Yashwant Sinha and the rest.

There were three other candidates for the post of chairman in the fray.

“Ye jeet mafiaonki haar hai and dhanbal par janbal ki vijay hai (Anjali’s victory is the defeat of the mafia and the victory of people’s power over money power),” said Sinha after reaching the BJP party office in the afternoon.

Sinha promised to take up development of Hazaribgh jointly with Kumari. “Shaher ki gandagi turant dur ho aur bijali ki vyavastha durust ho (Clean up the town and ensure the power distribution system is strengthened),” the former external affairs minister told the new chairman.

He asked Kumari not to depend on the zilla parishad as Hazaribagh Municipal Board was self-sufficient and ready to take up all developmental work. He also advised her to work closely with Hazaribagh police to improve the traffic situation of the town.

Kumari was first elected chairperson in 2008, but was removed after a year by ward commissioners. Board vice-president Manish Jaiswal became the chairman after that, but both continued to trade charges of corruption against each other.

Kumari, who had by then became close to the BJP, challenged her removal in high court where it is still pending.

On Thursday, she said she was delighted with the civic poll results, promising to take up developmental work in the town on a war footing.

BJP leader Anupam Sinha said in the 2008 election, Kumari won by only 1,200 votes. But this time, she won by 6,616 votes.