RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, June 2: The BJP is likely to field former MLA Gangotri Kujur in the Mandar by-election scheduled on June 23.
Though official declaration has not been done so far, a party insider said the name was finalized in a party meeting. She has represented Mandar in the past.
Kujur who did his graduation from Ranchi University in 1988 was a member of Jharkhand legislative assembly from 2014 to 2019. Prior to this, she was state information commissioner.
In the 2019 assembly election, she was denied a ticket and opportunity was given to Dev Kumar Dhan to contest election.
Mandar is supposed to be a stronghold of Congress. From 1957 the party continuously kept on winning elections one after another five times. After that Bandhu Tirkey became powerful. He won from there as a UGDP, JJM, and JVM candidate.
Kujur is the only lady who could win election as BJP candidate.
In August, 2020 she hogged limelight after she collected some soil and sent it for Bhumi Poojan for construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. An FIR was lodged against her and one Depeswar Nath Mishra at Ranchi’s Chanho police station.
District president of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP), Kundresi Munda, had knocked on the door of the police station, where an FIR under Sections 379, 295 and 153 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against her.
Kujur is right now vice president of the Jharkhand unit of BJP. Her husband is a retired officer of the telecommunication department. She has two daughters and a son. All are married.
