Rameshwar Oraon has taken a lead of 13,759 votes against Bhagat at 12.05 pm, according to the Election Commission website.
Oraon secured his maiden victory from the Lohardaga Assembly seat in 2019 when he defeated then-BJP candidate Sukhdeo Bhagat and AJSU’s Neru Bhagat. He was a Lok Sabha MP from Lohardaga parliamentary constituency in 2004.
Before Rameshwar Oraon, Sukhdeo Bhagat secured a major victory from the Lohardaga Assembly seat in the 2015 by-poll on a Congress ticket, when he defeated Neru Bhagat. The by-election was necessitated after her husband and two-time MLA Kamal Kishore Bhagat was disqualified after being convicted in a criminal case. He was found dead in 2021.
Sukhdeo Bhagat, who returned to Congress from the BJP in 2022, wrested the Lohardaga Lok Sabha constituency from the BJP during the 2024 general elections earlier this year.
In the 2019 Assembly election in Jharkhand, the alliance of JMM, Congress and RJD emerged victorious, winning 47 out of 81 seats. Out of these, JMM got 30, Congress 16 and one went to the RJD.
The BJP, while contesting the polls alone, could only secure victory in 25 seats and the remaining went to Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (P), AJSU, CPI(ML) and others.
Lohardaga Assembly: Polling date
The two-phase Assembly election in Jharkhand began on November 13, when polling was held in 43 constituencies, including Lohardaga. This seat saw a total voter turnout of 73.32%.
In the second phase, the remaining 38 seats in the state will vote on Wednesday, November 20. The results will be out on November 23.
Lohardaga Assembly: Candidates List
As many as 17 candidates are trying their luck for the Lohardaga seat in the 2024 polls.
| Candidate Names | Party |
| Rameshwar Oraon | Congress |
| Neru Shanti Bhagat | AJSU |
| Yashpal Bhagat | Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) |
| Anil Bhagat | Jharkhand People’s Party |
| Avdhesh Oraon | Bharat Adivasi Party |
| Kishor Oraon | Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha |
| Pawan Tigga | Lokhit Adhikar Party |
| Bihari Bhagat | Peoples Party of India (Democratic) |
| Rajpati Devi | Bharatiya Jan Jagriti Party |
| Birendra Oraon | Independent |
| Brij Mohan Oraon | Independent |
| Ramesh Oraon | Independent |
| Rajesh Lohra | Independent |
| Rameshwar Lohra | Independent |
| Santosh Bhagat | Independent |
| Saniya Oraon | Independent |
| Soma Oraon | Independent |
2019 result
During the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly election, Congress’ Rameshwar Oraon defeated then-BJP candidate Sukhdeo Bhagat by 30,150 votes.
| Candidate Names | Party | Votes |
| Rameshwar Oraon | Congress | 74,380 (42.67%) |
| Sukhdeo Bhagat | BJP | 44,230 (25.37%) |
| Neru Shanti Bhagat | AJSU | 39,916 (22.90%) |
| NOTA | – | 2,799 (1.61%) |
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Nov 23, 2024 7:40 AM IST
