[1] He represented the Dumri[2][3] Vidhan Sabha constituency as a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, he received 71,128 votes, defeating his closest opponent Yashoda Devi, who contested on a AJSU ticket.
He underwent a lung transplant, before returning to the state after long nine months of continuous treatment.
Later, Mahto was airlifted to Chennai again after he reported uneasiness during the state budget session last month.
On 6 April 2023 after suffering from multiple organ failure, he died at MGM Healthcare from post COVID-19 complications.