Several BJP leaders, including three ex-MLAs, join JMM ahead of Jharkhand polls
Ranchi (PTI): Several BJP leaders, including three former MLAs, joined the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) weeks ahead of the assembly polls in the state.
The former legislators who switched sides on Monday were Lois Marandi, Kunal Sarangi and Lakshman Tudu. The development also comes barely two days after three-term BJP legislator Kedar Hazra and AJSU Party leader Umakant Rajak joined the JMM.
"We joined the JMM today," Sarangi, the BJP's former spokesperson and ex-Baharagora MLA, told PTI.
Lois Marandi, a former BJP legislator, had in 2014 defeated Chief Minister Hemant Soren by a margin of 5,262 votes from Dumka.
Soon after Lois embraced JMM, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren welcomed her to the party.
"We heartily welcome former BJP Vice President and senior leader respected Lois Marandi Ji to JMM family," Soren posted on X.
In 2019, Soren won the Dumka seat by a margin of 13,188 votes. He, however, vacated the seat and retained the Barhait constituency.
His brother Basant Soren had defeated Marandi by over 6,842 votes in party stronghold Dumka in a bypoll.
Sources said Lois Marandi in a letter to BJP state president Babulal Marandi has drawn his attention to the "neglect" of committed workers like her and rising factionalism in BJP.
She has mentioned how the BJP for the first time won Dumka, considered a JMM bastion, in 2014 since Independence.
Sarangi had in July resigned from the party's primary membership, around a month-and-a-half after stepping down from the post of Jharkhand unit spokesperson.
He sent his resignation letter to BJP Jharkhand unit president Babulal Marandi, citing various organisational and people-oriented issues in East Singhbhum district.
Sarangi had also expressed disappointment with the party leadership's “indifferent approach” despite his efforts to highlight crucial issues.
He had said, "I resigned from the spokesman's post hoping that the party leadership would address the concerns I raised, but nothing has happened yet."
Lakshman Tudu in 2014 had defeated JMM's Ramdas Soren from Ghatshila constituency by a margin of 6,403 votes.
Others who came to JMM-fold include BJP leaders from Seraikela -- Ganesh Mahli, Basco Besra and Bari Murmu.
Three-term BJP legislator Kedar Hazra and AJSU Party leader Umakant Rajak joined the JMM on October 18.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly will be held in two phases – November 13 and November 20 – with the counting of votes scheduled for November 23.
Filing of nomination papers for the 43 assembly constituencies going to polls in the first phase began on Monday, with three nominations submitted so far.
In total, 2.60 crore people are eligible to vote in the assembly elections.
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UP man gets life term for electrocuting mentally challenged wife to death in Bareilly
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A local court here has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his mentally challenged wife by repeatedly electrocuting her while she was tied to a cot, lawyers said on Thursday.
Additional district government counsel Harendra Singh Rathore said Additional Sessions Judge Avinash Kumar Singh on Wednesday convicted Vinod Kumar (45) for killing his wife, Satyavati, in Chaina village of Bareilly district and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him.
According to the prosecution, he was allegedly frustrated with his wife Satyavati's mental illness and often assaulted her.
Rathore said the prosecution examined nine witnesses to establish the charges against him.
As per court records, on the night of May 1-2, 2022, when Satyavati was asleep, Vinod tied her hands and legs to a cot using ropes and then connected an aluminium cable to an electric board to repeatedly administer electric shocks to her.
"She writhed in pain, but the accused continued to electrocute her until she died," the prosecution said.
The court observed that the murder was carried out in an inhuman manner.
After committing the crime, the accused threw the rope and cable on the roof and left for work at a brick kiln around 2 am to create a false alibi.
He later tried to mislead the police and the victim's family by claiming that Satyavati, whose mental condition was unstable, had accidentally died by suicide after grabbing a live electric wire.
However, the victim's brother, Sanjeev, a resident of Shahjahanpur district, suspected foul play and lodged an FIR under sections 498A (husband subjecting wife to cruelty) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code at Nawabganj police station.
During the trial, the prosecution relied on the post-mortem report prepared by Dr Faraz Anwar, who stated that multiple electrocution marks found on different parts of the victim's body could not have been self-inflicted.
The police also recovered the rope and electric wire used in the crime on the accused's identification, officials said.
