Political Temperature Rises in as 19 Candidates Contest Mayor’s Post

The process of forming a new municipal government in Ranchi has picked up pace with the completion of the nomination process. Wednesday was the last day to file nominations for the post of Mayor of Ranchi Municipal Corporation. On the final day, nine candidates submitted their nomination papers. With this, the total number of candidates contesting for the mayor’s post has reached 19. Earlier, on Tuesday, ten candidates had already filed their nominations. The mayor’s post in Ranchi Municipal Corporation is reserved for the ST (General) category. Now, one among these 19 candidates will be elected as the new Mayor of Ranchi, making the contest highly competitive. Political activity in the city has intensified as major political parties have extended support to their candidates. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have backed their respective nominees, turning the mayoral election into a key political battle.

Roshni Khalkho Submits Nomination Amid Strong BJP Support

BJP-supported candidate Roshni Khalkho filed her nomination at the B-Block of the Collectorate. During her nomination, Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal, BJP Metropolitan President Varun Sahu, and a large number of party workers were present. Before submitting her papers, a procession with band music was taken out, creating a festive and energetic atmosphere. Speaking on the occasion, Roshni Khalkho said that if elected, her priority would be to keep the city clean and well-managed.

Along with the mayoral nominations, there was also heavy participation in the ward councilor elections. On the last day alone, 167 candidates filed nominations for 53 ward councilor posts. Out of these, 96 were women candidates, indicating strong participation of women in local body elections. Earlier, on February 3, a total of 197 candidates had filed nominations, including 118 women. On February 2, nominations were filed by 94 candidates, of which 65 were women. On January 31, six candidates filed their papers, while two candidates did so on January 30. Among these early applicants, six were women. Under the municipal general elections, the nomination process for Ranchi Municipal Corporation and Bundu Nagar Panchayat has now been completed. On the final day, apart from the mayor and ward councilor posts, three candidates filed nominations for the post of Nagar Panchayat President, and 23 candidate submitted papers for the ward member posts.

Nineteen Candidates in Fray for Mayor Election

The candidates contesting for the mayor’s post include Rama Khalkho, Sunil Fakira Kachhap, Devi Dayal Munda, Katharina Tirkey, Sonu Khalkho, Rajendra Munda, Sujata Kachhap, Vinod Kumar Baraik, Sanjay Kumar Toppo, Praveen Kachhap, Suman Kant Tigga, Ajit Lakra, Kiran Kumari, Surendra Linda, Roshni Khalkho, Ramsharan Tirkey, Sujit Kumar Kujur, Sujit Vijay Anand Kujur, and Biru Tirkey. According to the election schedule, all nomination papers will be scrutinized on Thursday. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations on February 6. Election symbols will be allotted on February 7. Polling will take place on February 23, and the counting of votes will be held on February 27, after which the election results will be announced.