Ranchi, Dec 23 (IANS) His wife Geeta Koda has won, but scam tainted Madhu Koda’s seven former ministerial colleagues Wednesday lost the Jharkhand assembly election.
These include former deputy chief ministers Sudhir Mahto and Stephen Marandi. While Mahto was a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate and lost to the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajantantrik (JVM-P), Marandi contested on a Congress ticket and was defeated by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s nominee Hemant Soren — Rajya Sabha MP and son of party chief Shibu Soren.

The other ministerial colleagues who lost were Kamlesh Singh, Bhanu Pratap Sahi, Aprna Sen Gupta, Dulal Bhuiya and Jhobha Manjhi.

They represented various parties — Chief Minister Koda was an Independent, unattachedf to any party. If Dulal Bhuiya, for instance, was a JMM nominee, Aprna Sen Gupta represented the Forward Bloc and Jhobha Manjhi the United Goan Democratic Party (UGDP).

Some of his colleagues won too — Bandhu Tirkey, Nalin Soren and jailed Harinaryan Rai.

Koda’s wife gave him her vote of confidence.

“It is the victory of my husband. This is the victory of the people, and it is also the victory of honesty of Madhu Koda,” Geeta Koda said after her victory from Jagganthpur constituency.

Koda is at the centre of a Rs.2,500-crore money laundering scam and is currently in jail.