The election for the mayoral post of Ranchi has emerged as one of the most closely watched contests in Jharkhand’s ongoing urban local body elections, turning into a high-stakes political battle despite being officially non-partisan.
Although civic polls are not conducted on party lines, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation mayoral race has effectively become a contest among the state’s major political parties—the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP has extended support to Roshni Khalkho for the mayoral post, while the Congress has fielded former mayor Rama Khalkho. The ruling JMM, on the other hand, has backed Sujit Anand Vijay Kujur as its preferred candidate.
In a development that has added a fresh political dimension to the race, the JMM has urged Congress-supported candidate Khalkho to withdraw from the contest and extend support to the JMM-backed nominee. The party has projected the appeal as a call to uphold coalition unity.
Also read: Jharkhand Municipal polls announced after years of delay
JMM leaders said Khalkho has already served as mayor and is seeking a second term, and suggested that the Congress should now adhere to coalition principles by backing the JMM-supported candidate.
The Congress, however, dismissed the appeal as untimely. Party leaders said it had earlier favoured a joint strategy between the Congress and JMM for the Ranchi mayoral seat, but no concrete initiative was taken by the ruling party.
They added that the election process has now reached an advanced stage, leaving little scope for political adjustments. Now, they said the outcome of the Ranchi mayoral contest will be decided solely by voters at the ballot box.
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