Ranchi/Patna
The ruling JMM retained the Ghatshila (ST) seat in Jharkhand on Friday with Somesh Chandra Soren, the son of late Ramdas Soren — who died as the State’s Education Minister after sustaining a fatal injury having fallen down in his bathroom —defeated Babulal Soren, the son of former Chief Minister Champai Soren by an impressive margin of 38,601 votes. It was Ramdas’ death which had necessitated the bypoll.
Incidentally, it was Ramdas Soren who had in 2024 defeated Babulal Soren by a margin of 22,464 votes. His son, riding on the sympathy wave, has now registered a more emphatic victory against the same rival. The BJP had fielded Babulal after Champai, a veteran JMM leader, switched over to its camp. The BJP continued to repose faith in him even this time around.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren took to X to say, “The people of Ghatshila Assembly have once again created history. Heartiest congratulations, gratitude and johar to my beloved residents of Ghatshila for showering immense affection and blessings on Somesh Babu and the bow-and-arrow symbol. This victory is the victory of Ghatshila. It is a strong step towards fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of Ghatshila, and it is a humble tribute to the late Ramdas Da. In the times ahead, your Abua Sarkar and the JMM family will strive to live up to your trust.”
With the Ghatshila win, the INDIA Bloc thus continues to hold 27 of the 28 ST Assembly seats in Jharkhand. It had won all the 5 ST Lok Sabha seats in the Parliamentary polls held in mid-2024. Interestingly, it was only Champai who had managed to hold on to his turf of Seraikela denying the INDIA Bloc a clean sweep.
In Bihar, with just two of the 243 Assembly seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, the BJP and the Congress shared the honours. As the NDA registered a landslide win, voters broke a trend of electing alternatively and gave the BJP the mandate to retain the Katoria seat in Banka district. At the same time, despite the NDA wave, voters in Manihari ST seat in Katihar district continued to repose faith in the sitting Congress MLA giving him his fourth consecutive win.
In the Katoria ST seat, trailing for most of the day, Puran Lal Tudu of the BJP made a strong comeback in the later stages of counting to defeat Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Sweety Sima Hembrom by a margin of 10,986 votes. Since October 2025, in the last four elections the seat has been alternatively won by the RJD and the BJP. Tudu winning the seat now has broken that trend —the BJP has won the seat for the second consecutive time now after the 2020 elections. Sweety had won the seat in 2015 but BJP’s Dr Nikki Hembrom wrested it in 2020.
In the Manihari ST seat, three-term MLA from the Congress Manohar Prasad Singh created in a record of sorts as he won for the fourth straight time defeating Shambhu Kumar of the Janata Dal (United) by a margin of 15,071votes. Singh had first won the seat as a JD (U) candidate in 2010.
In Mizoram, the main Opposition party, Mizo National Front (MNF), which is an ally of the NDA, retained the Dampa Assembly (ST) seat in Mamit district, with its candidate R. Lalthangliana defeating his nearest rival, Vanlalsailova of the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), by a margin of 562 votes.
