In Jharkhand's Dumka, two former chief ministers face-off

Dumka: Jharkhand's Dumka Lok Sabha seat is set for a high-profile electoral battle as two chief ministers - Shibu Soren and Babulal Marandi - are pitted against each other here.

On paper, Mr Soren, who heads the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), holds an edge over Mr Marandi, the chief of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha.

Mr Soren has won from Dumka seven times and has defeated Mr Marandi twice. Mr Marandi has also tasted success against the JMM chief, but just once, when he defeated Mr Soren in the 1998 Lok Sabha election.

Both men belong to the Santhal tribe, the preponderant tribe in Dumka. The seat, though, has been a JMM bastion and Mr Soren, a man of few words, says it won't be different this time around. "I am winning and that too with a big majority," he told NDTV.

Mr Marandi, however, says things will be different this time around. In the three years that Mr Marandi, then with the BJP, led Jharkhand since its formation in 2000, the state saw good strides in development, especially in the case of roads.

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Mr Marandi now promises to effect similar development in Dumka, an area that still doesn't have rail connectivity, a National Highway or even a medical college. "The JMM has sided with both the BJP and the Congress in the past, but has not done anything for the people," he told NDTV.

The X-factor in Dumka could be BJP candidate Sunil Soren, a former JMM man, who may end up eating into the votes of both stalwarts.

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