Voting for two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand is taking place today in a closely watched political contest. One seat became vacant after the death of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) co-founder Shibu Soren, while the term of BJP leader Deepak Prakash is set to end on June 21.
A candidate needs at least 28 first-preference votes in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly to win a seat in the Upper House.
About number game
The INDIA bloc appears to have a numerical advantage. It holds 56 MLAs in total — including 34 from the JMM, 16 from Congress, four from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and two from CPI(ML) Liberation.
On the other side, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has 24 MLAs. This includes 21 from the BJP, along with one each from the LJP (Ram Vilas), AJSU Party, and JD(U).
In addition, the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha also has one MLA in the Assembly.
Nathwani’s entry adds twist
While the INDIA bloc is in a position to secure both seats, the contest has become more complex due to the entry of independent candidate Parimal Nathwani. He is being supported by the BJP and is expected to rely on possible cross-voting from within the INDIA bloc.
Nathwani is a three-time Rajya Sabha member, adding weight to his candidature in this closely fought election. His first tenure was from 2008 to 2014, when he was elected as an independent candidate. As per reports several lawmakers cross voted in his favour.
Nathwani’s second tenure spanned from 2014 to 2020, during which he was elected to the Rajya Sabha with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the All Jharkhand Students Union. He went on to secure a third term in the Rajya Sabha in 2020 from Andhra Pradesh, this time supported by the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party.
Both the Congress and the BJP are confident of their respective prospects, with each side publicly claiming an edge.
Commenting on the situation, Jharkhand Minister Irfan Ansari said: "What is there to say? This is our seat, this is our Jharkhand, and we are going to win. What’s the issue in that? Who told you that the numbers are not in our favour? Here, the numbers are not in favor of the opposition at all. They are in favour of the Mahagathbandhan. BJP is nowhere close.The BJP people are doing everything they can to defame Jharkhand. Why has the situation come to this? When BJP doesn’t even have the numbers, why are you unnecessarily jumping into the field?”
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