By IANS
Ranchi : Riding on the sympathy wave following the killing of its MP, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Sunday retained the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat, winning the by-election by a margin of nearly 60,000 votes.
JMM candidate Suman Mahto, wife of slain MP Sunil Mahto, got 293,003 votes while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Dinesh Sarangi managed 234,189 votes.
The by-election had taken place Aug 29. The seat fell vacant after Sunil Mahto was killed by the Maoist rebels in March.
The killing of Sunil Mahto and last month’s acquittal of JMM chief Shibu Soren in a murder case helped the party.
“This is a victory of the people,” Soren said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda said: “The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government’s policies are appreciated by people who have reposed their faith in the alliance.”
Former chief minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda said, “We welcome the verdict of the people. But the JMM’s victory margin has gone down and the wind is gradually blowing in favour of BJP.”
In 2004, JMM had won the seat by than 100,000 votes.