RANCHI, March 20 -- In a decisive show of strength for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), party-backed candidates have consolidated their hold over the capital's local government. On Thursday, Neeraj Kumar was elected as the Deputy Mayor of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), marking a clean sweep for the saffron camp following the recent mayoral victory of Roshni Khalkho. The election, held at the district collectorate, saw Ward 31 Councillor Neeraj Kumar secure a commanding victory. Out of 53 ward councillors, 38 voted in favor of Kumar, comfortably defeating his opponent Paramjit Singh (Ward 44), who managed only 15 votes. The win follows the successful election of Mayor Roshni Khalkho, who defeated her Congress-backed rival by a significant margin of 14,363 votes. Both Khalkho and Kumar took their oaths of office on Thursday, pledging a new era of governance. "My primary focus will be urban development, improving basic amenities, and solving citizen grievances," Mayor Khalkho told reporters shortly after the ceremony. While the BJP dominated the capital, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) celebrated a rare and significant victory in the Bundu Nagar Panchayat. JMM-backed candidate Ravindra Oraon was elected unopposed to the post of Vice Chairman. The Jharkhand civic polls, held on February 23 across 48 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), saw a robust voter turnout of over 63%. Although the elections were not officially fought on party symbols, the involvement of major political blocks was transparent. The BJP maintained its grip on major urban centers including Ranchi, Adityapur, and Medininagar. However, the ruling JMM-Congress alliance made notable gains elsewhere, with the JMM taking Giridih and Deoghar, and the Congress securing the Mango Municipal Corporation seat in Jamshedpur. As both the NDA and the INDIA bloc claim victory, these results are being viewed as a strategic "bellwether" for the upcoming state-level political landscape, signaling which way the wind may blow in the next assembly elections....