Amid stellar show in Jharkhand, sobering detail: Four ministers in Soren cabinet lost assembly polls

RANCHI: Four key ministers in the JMM-led Hemant Soren government faced crushing defeat in Jharkhand assembly polls despite a stellar performance by the coalition which retained power for the second consecutive term.

The ministers who bit dust included Health minister Banna Gupta who courted several controversies besides Water Resources minister Mithilesh Thakur.

The other two included Education minister Baidyanath Ram and Social Welfare Minister Bebi Devi whose department was behind the launch of populist Maiyan Samman Yojna that contributed significantly towards the victory of the JMM-led coalition in the state.

Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 1,000 is being provided to women in the age group of 18-50 years and the JMM-led coalition promised to enhance it to Rs 2,500 per month. At present the scheme is benefitting about 57 lakh women across Jharkhand.

Banna Gupta of Congress lost the Jamshedpur West seat by 7,863 votes to JD(U)'s Saryu Roy.

Mithilesh Kumar Thakur of JMM was defeated by BJP's Satyendra Nath Tiwari by a margin of 16,753 votes in Garhwa.

Baidyanath Ram of JMM contesting from Latehar lost to BJP's Prakash Ram by a slender margin of 434 votes.

Bebi Devi of JMM lost the Dumri seat by a margin of 10,945 to JLKM's Jairam Kumar Mahato.

Devi was inducted as minister after the death of her husband Jagarnath Mahto in April 2023 due to Covid-19-related complications.

In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the BJP-led NDA which managed only 24 seats.