The Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), allies in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), have agreed to contest one seat each in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, following a consensus achieved during a breakfast meeting between the leaders of the two side who are also partners in the state’s ruling coalition.
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The JMM, led by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, had initially signalled its intention to contest both Rajya Sabha seats in the state and had already announced the name of one candidate. The Congress also designated its candidate for one of the seats. The elections for the Rajya Sabha seats are scheduled to take place on June 18.
Agreement after CM-Congress observers’ talk
“We have resolved the issue and now JMM and Congress will contest one seat each,” a senior leader involved in the discussions told news agency PTI.
Sources said the agreement was reached during a meeting between Soren and Congress observers Bhupesh Baghel and Ajay Sharma for the upcoming polls, over breakfast.
They said a joint declaration that the JMM and Congress will fight in one Rajya Sabha seat each is likely to be unveiled at a dinner meeting, where all 56 MLAs of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand have been invited.
JMM fields Baidyanath Ram
The JMM had already declared former state minister Baidyanath Ram as its candidate for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in the state. Ram will file his nomination papers in the presence of CM Soren on Monday (June 8).
Pranav Jha is Congress’s candidate
The Congress has also announced its senior party functionary Pranav Jha as its candidate for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from the state. All India Congress Committee Secretary Jha is currently in charge of communication for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
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To resolve the crisis, the Congress nominated former Baghel, former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, and Sharma for the Upper House polls. Baghel and Sharma met Soren seeking the JMM’s support for Jha.
BJP yet to finalise name
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already said that it will field a candidate for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats but has not yet nominated anyone.
One of the Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant following the death of JMM co-founder Shibu Soren last year, while the other will fall vacant after BJP member Deepak Prakash completes his six-year term on June 21.
The nomination process for the elections began on June 1, and the last date for filing the documents papers is Monday.
Polls may see interesting entries
As many as five candidates, including Ram, Jha, Rajya Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh Parimal Nathwani and BJP leader Gaurav Vallabh, purchased nomination forms on Saturday, an election official at Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha said.
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The contest in Jharkhand will become interesting if both Nathwani and Vallabh enter the fray. To ensure victory, a candidate must secure a minimum of 28 first-preference votes.
INDIA bloc dominates Jharkhand Assembly
Of the 56 members of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand Assembly which has 81 seats, 34 are from the JMM, 16 from the Congress, four from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and two from the CPI(ML) Liberation.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has 24 MLAs, of which 21 are from the BJP and one each from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), All Jharkhand Students Union Party and the Janata Dal (United).
Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha has one MLA.
(With agency inputs)
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