The RSS and BJP, in accordance with the pro-corporate communal plans of the Raghuvar government, had established Kamal Clubs in Bagodar Block of Giridih district, purportedly to encourage art, cultural and sports activities. The formation of these clubs began about a year ago. The procedure was to form 11-member Panchayat committees which would then go on to elect Block committees. The process of election to Block committees is now on. It is noteworthy that CPI (ML) backed candidates had won the Block committee elections in Birni, Rajdhanwar, Gawan. The Bagodar Block committee is the latest in the series of Kamal Club election victories for the CPI (ML).
The Bagodar Block Kamal Club elections were held on 11 October 2017. 221 out of 242 Kamal Club members from 22 Panchayats exercised their franchise for the election of a 11-member Block committee. Voting was done for President, Secretary, Treasurer and 8 Executive members for the Block Kamal Club.
Although the elections were not Party-based, the political temperature rose considerably with the BJP putting in muscle and money for the victory of candidates backed by them. But students and youth showed remarkable unity and won a great victory for the candidates backed by the CPI (ML).
AISA leader Com. Puran Mahto with 115 votes won the President’s post defeating BJP-backed Santosh Mandal by 11 votes. Rajesh Kumar Mandal (Treasurer), and 5 CPI (ML) backed candidates for the Executive, Rakesh Sao, Manoj Kumar Sahu, Balgovind Singh, Rajkumar Das, and Satyendra Yadav were victorious. Amjad Khan lost the Secretary post by just 2 votes to the BJP backed candidate Jitendra Mehta.
After the announcements of the results on 11 October students and youth took out a huge victory rally and garlanded the statue of martyr Com Mahendra Singh at the Party office in Sariya Road. CPI (ML) and RYA leaders congratulated the victorious candidates and said that the time has come to re-establish the pro-people politics of Mahendra Singh. On 12 and 13 October victory rallies were taken out in Atka, Adwara, Mundro and GT Road Hesla Panchayats in which hundreds of women, men, students and youth participated.
The Kamal Club victories have filled the youth with hope and energy to fight the pro-corporate, communal and casteist BJP. There is much talk among the people that the CPI (ML) has won the Kamal Club elections in all the blocks in Giridih and there is great enthusiasm for the upcoming District level elections. The CPI (ML) is moving forward in the direction of further victories and the renaming of the Club from Kamal Club to Birsa Munda/Bhagat Singh Club.
