Sitting MP Vishnu Dayal Ram on Wednesday filed his nomination papers as the BJP candidate for the Palamu Lok Sabha constituency.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) nominee Mamta Bhuiyan also filed her nomination papers during the day as the INDIA bloc candidate for the same constituency.

Ram was accompanied by Union Minister V K Singh and state BJP president Babulal Marandi when he submitted his papers to the returning officer at the Palamu district headquarters.

Seeking votes for BJP's Palamu candidate, the union minister said, "In order to continue the fast-paced development of the country, it is necessary to make sure the BJP wins all seats from Jharkhand. The country is progressing in every field under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Taking a dig at the coalition government in Jharkhand, the state BJP chief alleged that corruption is at its peak in the state. "Mines and mineral resources are being looted by the incumbent government in the state," Marandi said.

Ram, a former Director General of Police, had won the Palamu seat, the only scheduled caste reserved constituency in the state, by a margin of 4,77,606 votes against RJD’s Ghuran Ram in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. 

Jharkhand minister and senior RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta and other senior leaders of the party accompanied their candidate Bhuiyan when she submitted her nomination papers.

Bhuiyan after filing the nomination told reporters that she would work for extending irrigation and electricity facilities in the constitution. "If I win, I will try to set up industry in the constituency in a bid to stop migration," Bhuiyan said.