In Jharkhand's Koderma, it's Babulal Marandi vs Annapurna Devi

New Delhi, May 03: Over 18 lakh electors will decide the fate of the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand and former State Social Welfare Minister on May 6, when Koderma Lok Sabha Assembly constituency will go into polls.

The seat will witness a tough competition between grand alliance candidate Babulal Marandi, the first chief minister of Jharkhand and chief of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) and Annapurna Devi, former chief of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) who joined Bharatiya Janata Dal (BJP) ahead of elections and was fielded by the party. Devi served as a Cabinet Minister in Hemant Soren's government.

Babulal Marandi had won from the seat thrice consecutively in LS election 2004 and 2009 and bypolls of 2006, before being defeated by BJP's Ravindra Kumar Ray in 2014 elections. Meanwhile, this year, instead of fielding Ray for the second time, BJP decided to change the candidate and field Devi instead.

Babulal Marandi was a BJP member earlier but resigned from the BJP and also his Lok Sabha seat of Kodarma. In 2006 byelection, he contested as an Independent candidate and won. He then founded the JVM and won the seat again in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections for his party.

In 2014, the BJP opened its score in Kodarma after a long time due to the prevailing Modi wave and Ravindra Kumar Ray was elected as the Member of Parliament. Ravindra Kumar Ray defeated Rajkumar Yadav of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) with a vote margin of nearly one lakh.

The Lok Sabha constituency of Koderma includes six assembly constituencies including Koderma, Barkatha, Dhanwar, Bagodar, Jamua and Gandey.

A total of 18,12,085 voters have been identified in the constituency, 9,58,523 male, 8,53,546 female and 16 third gender. The constituency has 24,584 first time voters as well.