The nomination process for the election to two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand commenced on Monday with the issuance of the notification. However, both the INDIA bloc and the NDA have yet to announce their candidates, even as intense discussions are ongoing to finalize the names.
Key Dates and Procedures
The last date for filing nominations is June 8, and scrutiny of papers will take place on June 9, according to the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 11. In the event that there are more than two candidates, polling will be conducted on June 18.
On Monday, no nomination papers were filed. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which leads an alliance government with the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), is expected to field a candidate from its own party. Meanwhile, the Congress party is still awaiting a response from its alliance partner. On Friday, Congress's Jharkhand affairs in-charge K Raju met Chief Minister Hemant Soren at the latter's residence to stake a claim on one seat. A Congress spokesperson stated on Monday that talks are still underway. The Congress has also reached out to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and the RJD, seeking support to field a second nominee as the INDIA bloc's candidate.
BJP's Strategy
On the other hand, state BJP president Aditya Sahu and other senior party functionaries left for Delhi on Sunday night to discuss the election modalities with the central leadership.
Seat Vacancies and Political Dynamics
Of the two Rajya Sabha seats, one fell vacant following the death of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren last year, while BJP's Deepak Prakash's term is set to conclude on June 21. The JMM-Congress-RJD coalition has a total of 56 MLAs in the 81-member assembly. Based on the numbers, the alliance government is expected to win both seats comfortably. However, with the BJP announcing that it will field its candidates, the contest is likely to become intriguing, with allegations of horse-trading already being made. To win, a candidate must secure a minimum of 28 first-preference votes.
About the Author
ASRP Mukesh holds over 15 years of journalistic experience. He covers government, politics, and human interest stories from Jharkhand.
