Chatra/Koderma: Independent candidates bagged the top posts in urban local bodies in Chatra, Koderma and Bokaro districts with the results being declared late on Friday night. Voting across 48 ULBs was held on Feb 23.In Chatra Nagar Parishad, sharp division of votes among the party-backed candidates paved way for independent nominee, Ataur Rahman alias Babu Khan, to win by 1,492 votes and secure the chairperson’s post.Rahman secured 6,111 votes, defeating his nearest rival Aman Yadav, who polled 4,619 votes. Rajesh Shah finished third with 3,802 votes followed by RJD-backed and outgoing deputy chairperson Sudesh Kumar with 2,381 votes. BJP-supported Vidyasagar Arya managed 1,355 votes, while Congress-backed Basir Nizamuddin got 455 and JMM-supported Abhishek Nishad secured 428.Rahman on Saturday said the mandate reflected people’s desire for change and development beyond party lines. He promised to seek a reduction of the recently increased holding tax by up to 60% calling it a burden on residents.In Koderma district too, the political landscape witnessed a significant shift as independent candidates dominated the municipal elections, leaving major party-backed contenders in the wake.In Jhumri Telaiya Nagar Parishad, the chairperson’s post, reserved for an OBC candidate, was clinched by independent candidate Ramesh Harshdhar, who secured 6,974 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Rajendra Kumar, by a margin of 825 votes. The defeat was particularly stinging for BJP-backed candidate, Pankaj Baranwal, who managed only 4,899 votes and slipped to a distant fourth.A similar trend of unseating incumbents played out in the Koderma Nagar Panchayat, where Sajid Hussain Lallu emerged victorious. He got 3,863 votes to claim the chairperson’s seat. The result marked a disappointing turn for the sitting chairperson and BJP-backed candidate Kanti Devi, who finished third with 2,188 votes.For BJP, the only silver lining was in Domchanch Nagar Panchayat as party-backed Umesh Verma captured the chairperson’s post by polling 4,245 votes to defeated JMM-backed candidate Pappu Mehta by a margin of 925 votes.
