Geeta Koda, the wife of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda who switched over from Congress to Bharatiya Janata Party , will contest from Singhbhum in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The announcement was made by the BJP at its presser on Saturday, which announced 195 candidates in its first list. Koda is among the 11 candidates from Jharkhand who were announced by the party. The BJP had won 11 seats out of 14 in the tribal-dominated state in 2019.

Last week, Koda had joined the BJP in the presence of Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi. “There is no point in staying in a party that is least concerned about people. I have decided to serve people in future with the BJP. I would contribute in whatever capacity the party requires me to. Will contribute in fulfilling the dream of Prime Minister Modi to make India Viksit Bharat,” she had said.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Koda had defeated then Jharkhand BJP president Laxman Gilua by over 70,000 votes in Singhbhum, a reserved seat for scheduled tribes (ST). She had bagged over 4.29 lakh votes, compared to Gilua’s 3.57 lakh votes. Her husband and former chief minister Madhu Koda had won this seat in 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

“People wanted change in Singhbhum. With the help of women voters and the dedicated spirit of Mahagathbandhan leaders in Singhbhum, we won the seat. Gilua had stopped meeting public grievances, hence people voted against him,” Geeta Koda had said five years ago on her election win.

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