Ranchi: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Saturday named former minister and party central vice-president Baidhyanath Ram as its candidate for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats up for election on June 18. The party, however, did not clarify its stance on the second seat, a day after expressing dissatisfaction over ally Congress's alleged move to unilaterally nominate Pranav Jha for one seat.
Party Decision and Legislators' Demand
At a meeting on Friday, JMM legislators unanimously demanded that Chief Minister Hemant Soren field party candidates on both seats but left the final decision to him. Announcing the candidate on Saturday, JMM's central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya stated, "After analyzing all political situations, both short and long term, our leader Hemant has decided that former minister Baidhyanath Ram will be our candidate. He will file his nomination on Monday in the presence of Hemant Soren ji. All our 34 MLAs will ensure his victory."
Ram's Political Background
Baidhyanath Ram joined JMM in 2019 after leaving the BJP and won the Latehar assembly seat in the same year. However, he narrowly lost to BJP's Prakash Ram in the 2024 assembly election. He also heads JMM's Scheduled Caste Morcha and is a political functionary from the Palamu commissionary, where JMM is yet to make significant inroads.
Stand on the Second Seat
Regarding the party's position on the second seat, Bhattacharya said, "As I already said, our leader will take a call and we all will abide by his decision. Talks are still on and he (Hemant) will take an appropriate decision." He noted that with only six Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand and considering the number of MLAs in the assembly, the trend has been that any party could name only one candidate so far. None of the parties currently have sufficient numbers to win both seats alone.
Congress and INDIA Bloc Reassure Unity
Congress, on the other hand, reiterated that the INDIA bloc will ensure the candidates' victory and that all alliance partners, mainly JMM, are on the same page. Speaking to reporters outside Hemant's office, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, one of two observers appointed by Congress for the Rajya Sabha polls, claimed, "We had a good meeting with CM just now. Both INDIA bloc candidates will win. There isn't any misunderstanding between JMM and Congress."
BJP's Strategy and Other Candidates
The BJP, meanwhile, has yet to reveal its hand, even though Gaurabh Vallabh, who joined the party after leaving Congress in 2024, turned up at the BJP office in the morning after taking nomination papers from the assembly. Vallabh is currently a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. Besides him, four others have taken nomination papers so far ahead of the last date for filing nominations on June 8. They include Parimal Nathwani, an industrialist and Rajya Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh whose current term is ending, JMM's Ram, Congress's Jha, and one independent.
Assembly Arithmetic and Contest Dynamics
In the 81-member assembly, JMM has 34 MLAs, Congress 16, and RJD 4. The ruling coalition also has the support of two legislators from the Left, taking the tally to 56. The INDIA bloc is set to comfortably win both seats if the entire flock remains intact. However, with BJP (21 MLAs) and Nathwani, a two-time MP from Jharkhand, entering the fray, the contest remains wide open, with chances of possible horse-trading, according to political observers.
About the Author: ASRP Mukesh holds over 15 years of journalistic experience. He covers government, politics, and human interest stories from Jharkhand.
