Jharkhand RS Polls to Test I.N.D.I.A. Bloc Unity

NEW DELHI, RANCHI: The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand have emerged as a litmus test for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, with alliance partners Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress at odds over candidate selection. With two seats going to the polls, both parties have fielded their own candidates.

Speculation is rife that former Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand, Parimal Nathwani, who is currently an Upper House member from Andhra Pradesh, may contest as an Independent candidate. His entry could make the contest more complex, particularly for the Congress and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.

Nathwani reportedly met JMM supremo and Chief Minister Hemant Soren late on Saturday night and is believed to be assessing the political situation before formally entering the fray. He represented Jharkhand in the Rajya Sabha for two terms between 2008 and 2020.

If Nathwani contests, he would require at least 10 proposers from the BJP to file his nomination and would also need support from the NDA, which has a strength of 24 MLAs, four short of the 28 votes required to win a seat.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel said in Ranchi on Sunday that Soren had convened a meeting of all 56 I.N.D.I.A. bloc MLAs and expressed confidence that the ruling alliance would win both Rajya Sabha seats.

Congress observers for the biennial elections, Bhupesh Baghel and Ajay Sharma, met Soren and discussed the alliance’s strategy for the polls.

“A detailed discussion was held on both seats with the Chief Minister, as he is the leader of the ruling alliance. He has called a meeting of all 56 alliance MLAs this evening. We will also be present. Everything will become clear there,” Baghel told reporters.

He added, “We are going to win both the seats. The two nominees of the ruling alliance will file their nomination papers on Monday.”

The Congress on Friday named senior party functionary Pranav Jha as its candidate for one of the two seats, while the JMM nominated former BJP MLA Baidyanath Ram.

The BJP has announced that it will field a candidate for one of the seats but is yet to reveal the name.

Political observers believe that Nathwani’s entry as an Independent candidate could complicate the prospects of the Congress nominee.

Sources said Soren has been unhappy with the Congress over what he viewed as a unilateral decision to announce Pranav Jha’s candidature. The JMM was also reportedly upset after not being allotted what it considered respectable seats in the Bihar elections, prompting it to contest outside the Mahagathbandhan alliance.

One Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant following the death of JMM co-founder Shibu Soren, while the term of BJP member Deepak Prakash will end on June 21.

A candidate requires at least 28 first-preference votes to secure victory.

In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc has 56 MLAs — 34 from the JMM, 16 from the Congress, four from the RJD and two from CPI(ML).

The NDA has 24 MLAs — 21 from the BJP and one each from the LJP (Ram Vilas), AJSU Party and JD(U). The Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha has one MLA.

The nomination process began on June 1, with June 8 being the last date for filing nominations. Polling will be held on June 18.