Campaigning for Assembly bypolls in two seats — Dumka and Bermo —in Jharkhand has reached feverish pitch.

As campaign is scheduled to close on November 1 afternoon with voting on November 3, chief minister Hemant Soren and JMM supremo and Rajya Sabha MP Shibu Soren camped at Dumka while BJP’s national vice-president and former chief minister Raghubar Das also arrived in Dumka on Tuesday evening.

Dumka is poised for a direct contest between Hemant Soren’s younger brother Basant Soren making his debut in political arena on JMM ticket and a minister in erstwhile BJP government Louis Marandi on BJP ticket. By-poll to this seat was necessitated after Hemant Soren vacated Dumka Assembly constituency and kept Barhait Assembly constituency after taking over as chief minister.

“We are confident of retaining Dumka seat as people have realised the double-standards of the BJP government who are only interested in looting natural resources of Jharkhand. The people have faith in our government as we have taken up popular schemes and have taken up sincere efforts for increasing reservation in government jobs for SC/ST and OBC. We have opened 22 fast track courts for prompt justice in violence against women,” said Hemant at a meeting with women at his house in Khijuria in Dumka.

Das who reached Dumka in the evening, while addressing journalists hit out at the JMM-led UPA government in the state for failure in law and order. “The people have realised their mistake of electing a government which has failed to meet any of its promises made in the manifesto,” said Das.