Voting for Rajya Sabha elections on 2 seats today, close contest between these 3 stalwarts; Will Soren be able to save the fort?

Today is a very exciting day in the politics of Jharkhand. Voting has started in the morning for the two vacant Rajya Sabha seats in the state. MLAs will exercise their franchise till 4 pm in the assembly complex. Immediately after this, the votes will be counted and by late evening it will be clear who will represent Jharkhand in the Upper House of Delhi. Let us tell you that there are only two seats in the fray, but three candidates have fielded. This is the reason why this contest has reached a very interesting and exciting turn.

There is a strong discussion in the political circles that the victory of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Baidyanath Ram on the first seat is considered almost certain. The real problem is regarding the second seat. For the second seat, a direct and close contest is being seen between Congress’s Pranab Jha and NDA-backed independent candidate Parimal Nathwani.

Political mathematics and numerical strength of the assembly

If we understand the game of numbers within the Assembly, at present the ruling India alliance seems to have the upper hand. The alliance has the strong support of a total of 56 MLAs including JMM, Congress and other allies. On the other hand, the NDA camp sitting in the opposition has a total of 24 MLAs, which includes 21 MLAs from BJP and 1 MLA each from AJSU, JDU (JD-U) and LJP (R).

To overcome this election race of Rajya Sabha, any one candidate needs at least 28 first preference votes. The figure of 56 available with the India Alliance is enough to win both the seats easily, provided there is no split in the camp.

Mock poll and fencing in CM House at midnight

Despite being ahead in the numbers game, the ruling coalition is in no mood to take any risks. JMM and Congress alliance is continuously claiming that both the seats will come in their kitty. To strengthen this trust, Chief Minister Hemant Soren himself took charge. He united all the 56 MLAs of the alliance at the Chief Minister’s residence.

There, a ‘mock poll’ was conducted with the MLAs so that there were no technical mistakes at the time of voting. During this mock poll, JMM got 27 votes and Congress got 27 votes. There is also a strong discussion among insiders and in political circles that the alliance had kept its MLAs together in a safe place only to prevent possible horse trading or poaching (buying and selling of MLAs) by the opposition camp.

How are Rajya Sabha MPs elected? Understand the whole process

Unlike the general elections, the general public of the country does not vote directly in the Rajya Sabha elections. This is the reason why it is called ‘Indirect Election’. In this, MLAs (MLAs) of the states elected by the public participate.

This entire process takes place under the Single Transferable Voting System, in which MLAs vote on the basis of preference for the candidates of their choice on a single ballot paper. This voting is completely secret. Whichever candidate wins this election is elected as Rajya Sabha MP for the next 6 years.

In the voting taking place today in Jharkhand, mainly three faces are facing each other – Baidyanath Ram, Pranab Jha and Parimal Nathwani. Although the India alliance looks quite strong on paper, the NDA camp has full hopes of cross voting (voting away from the alliance) from within. History is witness to the fact that many times cross voting at the last moment in Rajya Sabha elections has spoiled the entire political game. Now we have to see which side the camel sits on in the evening.