State scan: BJP, AJSU tie-up in Jharkhand a victim of friendly fire

In Silli, Seema bagged 77,129 votes to defeat Sudesh Mahto, former deputy chief minister and president of the AJSU, by a margin of 13,510

The by-poll results of Jharkhand’s Gomia and Silli Assembly constituencies on May 31 came as a shock for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Just a month ago, the BJP had swept the urban local body polls, winning most of the 34 urban civic bodies, including five municipal corporations. 

But the mandate in the Silli and Gomia Assembly constituencies was contrary. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) retained both the seats, routing the NDA challenge in the keenly contested elections where the BJP, its ally All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and the “united opposition” had a lot to prove.

The mid-term polls were