Congress fields Bajrang Mahto for Ramgarh bypoll

The Congress on Saturday announced Bajrang Kumar Mahto as its candidate for the bypoll to the Ramgarh Assembly seat in Jharkhand, a party official said.

Mahto is the husband of Mamta Devi, whose disqualification necessitated the bypoll to be held on February 27.

"Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved Bajrang Kumar Mahto as Congress candidate for the ensuing bypoll to the Legislative Assembly of Jharkhand from Ramgarh constituency," a party statement said.

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In December, 2022, a special MP/MLA court in Hazaribag sentenced Mamta Devi and 12 others to jail for five years in a case of violence registered in 2016.

Mahto will file his nomination on February 7.

"Chief Minister Hemant Soren and parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam are likely to be present during Mahto’s filing of nomination," a party spokesperson said.

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The nomination process started on February 1 and will end on February 7.

The AJSU Party on Friday had announced Sunita Choudhary as its candidate for the bypoll to the Ramgarh Assembly seat. Choudhary filed her nomination papers on Saturday.

In the 2019 Assembly election, Mamta Devi had defeated AJSU’s Sunita Choudhary with a margin of 28,718 votes.