When you think of Dhanbad, the coal capital of the country, only mafia and gang wars come to mind. Obviously, this is because of the bloody history there, bloodshed for supremacy. There is a struggle for supremacy in the Dhanbad Jharia seat. The 2014 election was a battle between cousins, while in 2019 it was a fight between sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law.
Jharkhand’s Kurukshetra electoral college is once again decorated, this time also recalling the 2019 electoral battle. Purnima Singh, the sitting MP from Jhariya, is contesting against the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded its sister-in-law Ragini Singh against the Congress. An electoral battle is raging between two daughters-in-law of the same family in Jhariya constituency in Koyaranchal.
In this seat, two daughters-in-law of the Suryadev Singh family, the most powerful political family in Dhanbad, face each other. Neeraj Singh’s wife and sitting MLA Purnima Singh faces former MP Sanjeev Singh’s wife Ragini Singh’s challenge. Even in the 2019 elections, this seat was contested between sister-in-law Purnima and sister-in-law Rajini Singh. Subsequently, Purnima Singh won the election with a margin of more than 5,000 votes and successfully entered the Parliament.
My sister-in-law and sister-in-law now live in different places, and the distance between the family members has also widened a lot. Till the 2009 elections, the Singh House, which dominated Dhanbad politics, was united, but thereafter, due to family estrangement, another branch emerged – Ragukul. There is a struggle between these two characters who come from the same family.
The feud between Singh House and Ragukul began in 2014
Singh House dominated Dhanbad politics until the 2009 elections. Singh Mansion is the residence of the Singh family and was built by Suryadev Singh. Suryadev Singh served as MLA from Jharia constituency from 1977 to 1991 and the family holds an important position in Dhanbad politics. The politically influential Singh House united until the 2009 general election. After Suryadev Singh’s death, his brother Bacha Singh inherited his estate. Bacha Singh was a MLA and also became a minister in the Jharkhand government, but when the children of Suryadev Singh and his brother, who lived in Singh Mansion, grew up, Conflicts began to arise over property, business, and political succession.
In 2005, Bacha Singh had to give up the Jhariya seat to Kunti Devi, wife of Suryadev Singh. Bacha Singh contested the elections from Bokaro but lost. This incident made Bacha Singh very unhappy and it is said to have been the beginning of the feud between the Suryadev Singh family. As Suryadev Singh and his brother’s children grew up, conflicts began to mount over issues ranging from political succession to business, unions and property. As the rift grew, the house fell apart. The family of Rajnarayan Singh, brother of Suryadev Singh, left the Singh Mansion and started living in Ragukul. Bacha Singh also became a supporter of Raghukul.
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Neeraj Singh, the eldest son of Rajnarayan Singh, became active in politics. Neeraj Singh contested from the Congress seat in the 2014 Jharkhand elections. Before Neeraj, Suryadev Singh’s son Sanjeev Singh contested from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seat. In an electoral battle between two cousins who grew up together under the same roof, the outcome was in Sanjeev’s favour. Neeraj lost the election. He became the deputy mayor of Dhanbad and began to be praised for his approach to solving public problems. Neeraj’s popularity gradually started to rise. At the same time, in March 2017, criminals shot him dead in the busy area of Gangmen. Sanjeev Singh has been charged with murder and remains in jail.
Quarrel between sisters-in-law since 2019
The political legacies of cousins Neeraj Singh and Sanjeev Singh are now being handled by their wives. After Congress MP Neeraj Singh was murdered, sitting MP Purnima Neeraj Singh took over the command. Meanwhile, after Sanjeev was jailed, his wife Ragini Singh came forward. Rajini also contested elections as a BJP candidate in 2019 but failed. This time too, the Congress has expressed confidence in elected MLA Purnima Singh, while the BJP has fielded Ragini Singh as its candidate.
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Neeraj’s younger brother Harsh had said in 2019 that his cousin’s family, which had ruled Jharia for four decades, would not tolerate anyone standing in his way. If anyone commits such a bold act then he will be removed from the roads. An atmosphere of fear and panic has developed. Purnima, wife of late Neeraj Singh, has been talking about allaying the same fears, removing Jhariya’s mafia tag and contesting elections with issues of public interest. Purnima Singh said that even after filing nomination papers as a Congress candidate from the Jhariya seat, Jhariya must move away from the politics of fear and murder.
Purnima expresses confidence in victory
Talking about the foundation stone laying ceremony of the scheme worth crores of rupees, Purnima said some work is in progress. All tasks must be completed. He also said there is still a lot of work to be done. On the issue of displacement in Jhariya, Purnima said there was a need to relocate people living in fire-affected areas, but no one had been forced to do so in the past five years. The politics of fear has not yet been exploited. Displacement will be glorious. People will go as they please. He expressed confidence in his victory.
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Recently Prithvi Mansion was also separated from Singh Mansion. Prithvi Mansion is the residence of Suryadev Singh’s younger brother Ramadhir Singh. Aashni Singh, wife of Ramadhir Singh’s son Shashi Singh, is also active in politics. Ashni had contested the 2017 UP elections from the Bahria assembly seat in Bahlia district. However, she lost. Suryadev Singh’s ancestral village is located in Bahria Assembly constituency.
