Campaigning hots up for Jharkhand Assembly bypolls
Ranchi, May 21:Campaigning gained momentum on Monday for the two Jharkhand Assembly seats -- Gomia and Silli -- where bypolls are scheduled on May 28.
BJP Chief Minister Raghubar Das is campaigning for the Gomia assembly seat, which is currently held by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). A united opposition has been rallying for JMM candidates on both seats.
Das has been campaigning for the last four days for BJP candidate Madavlal Singh in Gomia.
Attacking the Congress, Das said: "Congress party which has ruled the country for more than 60 years has now been reduced to a regional party's status.
"In Karnataka Congress is carrying the Janata Dal-Secular on its shoulders while in Jharkhand it was doing the same with the JMM."
JMM President Shibu Soren, former Chief Minister and executive president of the party Hemant Soren, and former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay are also busy canvassing in the bye-elections.
Soren said: "The Raghubar Das government has failed on all fronts. It is involved in plundering the state. Time has come to teach the Bharatiya Janata Party a lesson."
In Gomia, the ruling National Democratic Alliance partners -- the BJP and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) -- are fighting separately.
BJP has fielded former Minister Madavlal Singh and AJSU has fielded Lambodar Mahto, who was a state government employee.
The JMM has fielded Babita Devi, wife of Yogendra Mahto, who was disqualified as a legislator after being convicted and awarded a two-year jail term in a case.
In Silli, there is a direct fight between JMM candidate Seema Mahto and AJSU president Sudesh Mahto. Seema Mahto is the wife of Amit Mahto, who lost his assembly seat after being convicted and awarded a jail term.
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Bhambri-Goransson's dream run at Indian Wells ends in semifinals
Indian Wells (USA) (PTI): Indian doubles ace Yuki Bhambri and his Swedish partner Andre Goransson's impressive campaign came to an end after losing in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters in California.
The unseeded pair went down 5-7, 7-6(7), 5-10 to France's Arthur Rinderknech and Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in a closely-fought contest that was decided by a tie-breaker.
Bhambri and Goransson started strongly but were edged out in the opening set.
The Indo-Swedish duo fought back to force a decider after clinching a tight second-set in the tie-breaker.
However, Rinderknech and Vacherot held their nerve in the deciding tie-breaker to seal the victory.
Despite the defeat, the tournament marked a significant milestone for the 33-year-old Indian as it was his maiden semifinal appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
Earlier in the tournament, Bhambri and Goransson had produced a strong performance to reach the last-four, defeating the Austrian-Italian pair of Alexander Erler and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 7-6(7).
Their run also ended a two-year wait for an Indian presence in the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament since Rohan Bopanna won the title at the Miami Open in 2024.
