RANCHI: Congress party's Mandar by-election candidate Shilpi Neha Tirkey filed her nomination papers at the Ranchi district collectorate building on Thursday afternoon.
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, AICC's Jharkhand in-charge Avinash Pande, state Congress chief Rajesh Thakur, Congress legislative party leader Alamgir Alam and former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay accompanied Shilpi Neha Tirkey to the collectorate building.
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, AICC's Jharkhand in-charge Avinash Pande, state Congress chief Rajesh Thakur, Congress legislative party leader Alamgir Alam and former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay accompanied Tirkey.
Earlier in the day, Tirkey met JMM president Shibu Soren and sought his blessings. She had a private audience with Hemant at his Kanke Road residence before filing the nomination papers.
Tirkey was named the Congress candidate by the party's central leadership on Wednesday night. A student of business administration and marketing communications, Tirkey was working as a brand manager in Mumbai before she took the plunge in politics, Congress office bearers in Ranchi said.
Tirkey's father Bandhu, whose ouster after being convicted in a disproportionate assets case necessitated the by-elections, told TOI, "I am thankful to the party's leadership for giving her the opportunity. I have full faith that she will serve the people of Mandar and Jharkhand to the best of her abilities."
Hemant said, "Our government has seen quite a few by-elections since assuming office and you all have seen what their results were. Our Mahagathbandhan candidate formally filed her nominations. We wish her all the best."
Soren's presence with ongress leaders came as an effort to bury the hatchet on the Rajya Sabha election episode. JMM camp said Soren will canvas for Tirkey in the Mandar bypolls scheduled on June 23. Though Congress lawmakers criticised Soren for fielding a JMM candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls, most were seen having cordial conversations with him.
Meanwhile, the BJP's election committee, led by state president Deepak Prakash, forwarded a list of four probable candidates to the BJP's Parliamentary Board, sources said.
