Medininagar Municipal Corporation Election: Migrant Workers Eyed for Feb 23 Vote

Daltonganj: A handful of candidates contesting the mayoral post at the Medininagar Municipal Corporation (MMC) in Palamu district are likely to bring back migrant workers, who are expected to return for Holi festivals, to be in time for the election on Feb 23.The idea of bringing back such migrant voters stemmed from Bihar’s assembly election in 2025, where special trains were run from BJP-ruled states to bring migrant voters back to Bihar to cast their votes. It proved to be a big, profitable idea for the two major parties that are ruling Bihar now.A close supporter of an affluent candidate, requesting anonymity, said, “Hordes of migrants come days ahead of Holi in Palamu.

Holi falls on March 3 and 4 this year. By that time, the election process will be over. Hence, efforts are on to track the migrant voters and provide them with up and down fares to their work locations.”The supporter also said that if the migrant voters were in Bihar's riverine areas like Dehri On Sone, Rohtas and Gaya, among others, bringing them back for the voting was not a difficult task. Road transportation would be far easier than a train journey, he added.

Meanwhile, the returning officer of the mayoral nominations, Kundan Kumar, who is also the additional collector, said, “We have also heard of such a move to bring back migrant voters. I understand it’s an idea taken from the Bihar election.” Kumar, however, declined to elaborate on the move.For the candidates, tracking migrant voters is not a difficult task, as they can easily get the information from their families or their neighbours.

The candidates wanted the workers back because of their sheer number and have the potential of making a swing in favour of their candidates even in urban areas.Mayoral elections would be conducted at places under five police station limits, including town, sadar, Chainpur, along with SC/ST and Mahila police stations.The mayoral post is to be decided by 35 wards in the MMC, out of which ward numbers 5, 23 and 29 have elected their councillors uncontested.Among the three declared uncontested winners is a woman identified as Neera Devi of Ward 5. Manoj Singh (Ward 23) and Navin Kumar Gupta (Ward 29) are the other two uncontested winners.Talking to TOI, the district election officer municipality-cum-DC Sameera S, said, “There will be no pink booth in this urban body election.”Ratan Kumar Singh, the deputy election officer of the municipality, informed that there would be no provisions for postal ballots or service votes.