At least seven candidates with alleged Maoist links have emerged victorious in Jharkhand. Two of these victories were crafted from jails. Jharkhand Party’s Anosh Ekka won Kolebira seat despite being incarcerated for “murder”. He is alleged to have ordered banned PLFI to murder a parateacher, who was supporting the BJP candidate. Ekka, the police said, is the main source of political support for PLFI, the second largest LWE organisation in the state after CPI-Maoist. Yogendra Saw, former Congress minister jailed for allegedly starting two criminal gangs, oversaw the victory of his wife Nirmala Devi from Barkagaon. Another winner likely to grow in influence is Ganesh Ganjhu, JVM-P candidate from Simariya. He is brother of Brajesh Ganjhu, chief of banned LWE organisation TSPC. The TSPC had an alleged hand in the victory of Prakash Ram, JVM-P candidate from Latehar. With Mar-andi’s party likely to play a key role, TSPC will look to tap into that power. Paulus Surin, former PLFI zonal commander, won from Torpa on a JMM ticket. He had won from jail in 2009 after PLFI extended its support, but this time PLFI campaigned against him. Jagarnath Mahato of Dumri and Jai Prakash Bhai Patel of Mandu won on JMM tickets. The Maoists reportedly address Mahto as Tiger. Patel, a minister in the Hemant Soren government, courted controversy when his guards’ weapons and bullets went missing last year. One of the guards initially told interrogators that the minister wanted him to deliver it to a CPI-Maoist zonal commander, but later retracted.
