Congress gets lifeline in Kolhan with Geeta Koda’s victory

Congress has got lifeline in Kolhan division after a gap of around 15 years after Geeta Koda registered victory from Singhbhum parliamentary constituency in the general elections.

She has won the seat with 72,155 vote margin from her nearest rival Bharatiya Janata Party’s Laxman Gilua. Geeta got 4,31,815 votes while Gilua, who is state BJP president, got 3,59,660 votes. With this, the constituency got its first woman MP while Congress got its first elected representative after 2004.

Five-term MP and four-term member of legislative assembly (MLA) Bagun Sumbrui had won Singhbhum seat in 2004. He was the last Congress MP and MLA from the Singhbhum parliamentary segment including six assembly seats. Sumbrui had won Chaibasa assembly constituency in 2000. After his victory as legislator Congress had been waiting for single elected representative.

Senior Congress leader and former minister in undivided Bihar, Devendra Nath Champia, said that Koda’s victory would be a milestone for the party. The ruling party does not have single MLA in either of six assembly constituencies (Chaibasa, Chakradharpur, Manoharpur, Jagannathpur, Manjhgaon and Seraikela), he said. With state BJP president’s defeat by the Congress, the ruling party has been rooted out from Singhbhum.

“Party leaders are confident to win more number of seats in the upcoming assembly elections. Congress will win Jagannthpur (represented by Geeta Koda till she got elected to the parliament) along with other seats in Singhbhum. The party has secured leading votes in five assembly segment in this election. BJP had leading votes only in Seraikela whereas Congress has increased its vote here as compared to the last parliamentary elections,” Champia said.

Party leaders are hopeful that Congress would win more number of seats in entire Jharkhand, especially all six seats in Khunti parliamentary segment.

“Congress candidate Kali Charan Munda had won the seat but under a conspiracy BJP’s Arjun Munda was announced elected eventually. Congress has got huge votes in all the six assembly segments of Khunti, hence party was hopeful to win all the seats in next assembly elections,” a Congress leader alleged.

In-charge of the Women Congress committee in Singhbhum, Devika Singh said that after Bagun Sumbrui’s death, the party had been looking for a strong leader in Singhbhum. With Geeta Koda joining the party in October 2018, Congress became more powerful and party workers would make it stronger at the grassroots level after Singhbhum victory, she added.

First Published:
May 25, 2019 10:59 IST

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