Candidates of the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance government in Jharkhand under the INDIA block and the NDA filed their nominations on Thursday for the Dumri bypoll scheduled on September 5.

JMM candidate Bebi Devi, the widow of former education minister Jagarnath Mahato who died earlier this year because of a lung infection necessitating this bypoll, filed her nomination in the presence of JMM MLAs Mathura Mahato, Yogendra Mahato, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Sudivya Kumar, Congress MLA Jaimangal Singh and CPI-ML MLA Vinod Singh on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Ajsu candidate Yashoda Devi, wife of deceased Ajsu leader Damodar Mahato filed her nomination in the presence of Ajsu national president and MLA Sudesh Mahto, former BJP MP Ravindra Rai, BJP MLAs Randhir Singh and Narayan Das.

Later in the day, chief minister Hemant Soren addressed a meeting to garner support for Bebi Devi, playing the sympathy card while cautioning people to beware of the tactics adopted by some to split votes.

“This bypoll would be a tribute to Jagarnath Mahato and to fulfil his dream for the development of the constituency. I have made her (Bebi Devi) a minister even before the Assembly result and now the onus is on the people of this constituency to elect her from this seat. However, we should be beware of people who will masquerade as our ‘well-wishers’ but are playing into the hands of the BJP for the sake of money and are out to split our votes,” said Soren.

Ajsu leader Sudesh Mahato exuded confidence to wrest this seat.

Thursday was the last date for filing nominations and the votes will be counted on September 8.