Dhanbad witnessed a historic verdict in the mayoral election as rebel BJP leader Sanjeev Singh emerged victorious with the highest-ever vote tally in the municipal corporation’s history. Contesting as an Independent candidate, Singh secured 1,14,362 votes, defeating former mayor and JMM-backed candidate Chandrashekhar Agarwal by a margin of 31,902 votes.
Agarwal, who recently joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) after quitting the BJP, polled 82,460 votes to finish second. Congress candidate Shamsher Alam secured 59,702 votes and stood third, while the official BJP-backed candidate Sanjeev Agarwal remained at the fourth position, marking a significant setback for the party in the civic contest.
Singh, a former BJP MLA from Jharia, retains strong political influence in the region. His wife, Ragini Singh, is the sitting MLA from Jharia, further consolidating the family’s foothold in local politics.
Following the results, BJP leaders accused both Singh and Agarwal of confusing party voters. BJP MLA Raj Sinha alleged that campaign tactics had misled core supporters.
“One of the candidates who recently joined JMM continued using photographs of PM Modi and saffron symbolism during campaigning,” Sinha said, without naming Agarwal directly. He further added, “At the same time, Sanjeev Singh confused voters by turning an Independent candidate at the eleventh hour.”
However, Sanjeev Singh refrained from responding to the allegations and maintained that the election was not fought along party lines. “This election was not about political parties. The people of Dhanbad were contesting, and I will continue to work as per their wishes,” Singh told reporters after his victory.
{{/usCountry}}However, Sanjeev Singh refrained from responding to the allegations and maintained that the election was not fought along party lines. “This election was not about political parties. The people of Dhanbad were contesting, and I will continue to work as per their wishes,” Singh told reporters after his victory.
{{/usCountry}}Chandrashekhar Agarwal also avoided direct confrontation over the accusations and congratulated Singh on his win. “I congratulate Sanjeev Singh for his victory. The people have given their mandate, and we respect it,” Agarwal said.
The decisive mandate underscores the dominance of individual political influence in Dhanbad’s civic politics, with voters delivering a clear verdict in favour of Sanjeev Singh despite the intense multi-cornered contest.