SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 6: Giridih sadar MLA Sudivya Kumar, expressing deep shock at the sudden demise of Dumri MLA and Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto, said that the pillar of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in North Chhotanagpur Division has fallen down.
While addressing a condolence meeting at Giridih JMM district office in the morning today, he said that four-time MLA and Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto was a natural thinker of Jharkhandi thought and a revolutionary leader of the people.
Jagarnath Mahto died today in the morning while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Chennai.
“We have lost our brother and a dedicated colleague who struggled with us for a long time in agitation for party and people,” said MLA Sudivya Kumar.
Mahto was considered a popular and strongman in the region. Though first time in the 2000 assembly election, he lost to Lal Chand Mahto of the Janata Dal United (coalition partner of BJP), thereafter he never looked back. In the last assembly election 2019, he defeated Yashoda Devi of AJSY (P) by over 36,000 votes.
He became MLA for the first time from the Dumri constituency in Giridih district in the 2005 assembly election defeating Lal Chand Mahto. He got 41784 votes against 23774 votes of Lal Chand Mahto.
In the 2009 assembly election, he (33960 votes) retained the Dumri seat defeating Damodar Prasad Mahto (20292 votes) of the Janata Dal (United). The JMM leader made a hat trick on Dumri seat in the 2014 assembly election by defeating Lal Chand Mahto again who contested on a BJP ticket this time. He got 77984 votes while Lal Chand Mahto had 32,481 votes.
Jagarnath Mahto maintained his popularity as well as supremacy in the Dumri constituency in the 2019 assembly election again by defeating Yashoda Devi of the AJSU. Mahto got 71,128 votes while Yashoda Devi 34,188.
He also tried his luck in the Lok Sabha election twice but both times he had to face defeat. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, he contested from Giridih seat and lost to Ravindra Pandey of the BJP. Having seen his popularity, the JMM again fielded him in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and he lost to Chandra Prakash Choudhary of the AJSU. The BJP and the AJSU had contested elections in an alliance.
