After the announcement of Jharkhand assembly elections, all political parties and candidates have started their preparation in full swing. Voting will take place in two phases for a total of 81 seats. Among these, the Jharia assembly seat in Dhanbad district has emerged as a key battleground. Surya Dev Singh, or ‘Singh Mansion’, has long dominated this area.
Surya Dev Singh, his brother Bachcha Singh, Suryadev Singh’s wife Kunti Devi and son Sanjeev Singh have all been appointed MLAs from Jharia. However, the tables were turned in the 2019 elections when the Congress candidate Purnima Singh defeated Sanjeev Singh’s wife and BJP candidate Ragini Singh.
Purnima Singh is the daughter-in-law of Suryadev Singh’s younger brother Rajan Singh. Singh Mansion’s daughter-in-laws have been pitted against each other in Jharia this assembly election as well.
The ‘Singh Mansion’ family has dominated the Jharia assembly seat for four decades. The family fought elections together till 2009. This earned the family the moniker ‘Singh Mansion’. Surya Dev Singh’s younger brother Rajan Singh’s family came to be known as ‘Raghukul’.
In the 2014 elections, Surya Dev Singh’s son Sanjeev Singh contested from the ‘Singh Mansion’ on a BJP ticket, while Rajan Singh’s son Neeraj Singh contested from ‘Raghukul’ on Congress ticket. Sanjeev Singh won the polls. However, Neeraj Singh was murdered in 2017. Sanjeev Singh, who was then appointed MLA from Jharia, was charged in the murder case and was also imprisoned.
During the 2019 assembly elections, Sanjeev Singh’s wife Ragini Singh and Neeraj Singh’s wife Purnima Singh, both sister-in-laws were pitted against each other. With Purnima Singh’s victory in the election, the centre of power in Jharia shifted from ‘Singh Mansion’ to ‘Raghukul’.
The BJP has fielded Ragini Singh from Jharia in the 2024 assembly election, while the Congress has given ticket to sitting MLA Purnima Singh.
Singh Mansion’s Surya Dev Singh won from the first time from Jharia in 1977. He emerged victorious from here for four consecutive times. Following him, his brother Bachcha Singh became MLA from Jharia in 2000. In 2005 and 2009, Surya Dev Singh’s wife Kunti Devi contested the election on BJP ticket and won. In 2014, Surya Dev Singh’s son Sanjeev Singh was elected MLA.
The Jharia assembly seat came into existence in 1967 and Congress’s SR Prasad became its first MLA. In 1995, Abo Devi became MLA from Jharia on Janata Dal ticket. She was also appointed minister in the Bihar government.
Speaking to News18, local journalist Arun highlighted that Jharia is synonymous with coal mining, and the politics here is heavily influenced by coal workers and labour unions. Securing their support is crucial for any candidate hoping to win this seat. He noted that the region has long suffered from underground coal mine fires, which have significantly lowered the water table. Key electoral issues in Jharia include displacement, rehabilitation, access to drinking water, and pollution. The underground fires also release toxic gases, making breathing difficult for residents.
In 2019, Congress’ Purnima Singh received 50.34% votes and BJP’s Ragini Singh got 42.73% votes. Purnima Singh won by a margin of 12,054 votes.
In the 2014 assembly elections, BJP’s Sanjeev Singh got 48.14% votes. Neeraj Singh who contested on Congress ticket got 26.24% votes. Sanjeev Singh defeated Neeraj Singh by a margin of 33,692 votes.
According to the data of the Election Commission, there are a total of 3,01,564 voters in the Jharia Assembly. Of these, 1,59,623 are male and 1,41,925 are female voters.
The administration has launched a campaign to add new names to the voter list. Hence the number of voters may increase till the nomination of candidates. The 2019 assembly elections registered a voter outcome of 52.71%, the lowest among the six assembly seats in Dhanbad.
This time, Jharia will vote in the second phase of the assembly election on November 20. The counting of votes is scheduled on November 23.
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