Jharkhand Rajya Sabha elections: Nominations open for two seats amid political tussle
One seat fell vacant after Shibu Soren’s death, while another is due for retirement. The INDIA bloc wants both seats, but the BJP has also entered the contest.
Ranchi, Jun 1 (PTI) The nomination process for elections to two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand commenced on Monday with the issuance of the notification, a senior poll official said.
The last date for filing nominations is June 8, while scrutiny of papers will be taken up on June 9, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said.
"If there are more than two candidates, polling will be held on June 18," Kumar told reporters.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 11, he said.
No nomination papers were filed on the first day of the process, an official at the Jharkhand Assembly said.
One of the Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant following the death of JMM co-founder Shibu Soren, while BJP member Deepak Prakash is set to complete his six-year term on June 21.
The BJP has already announced that it will field a candidate for one of the two seats, while the Congress has staked claim to one.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju had met Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday and said efforts were being made to ensure that both Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand go to the INDIA bloc.
Meanwhile, the ruling JMM on May 26 wrote to the Election Commission expressing apprehension over possible "horse trading", claiming that the opposition did not have the requisite numbers in the assembly.
To ensure victory, a candidate is required to secure a minimum of 28 first-preference votes. Since the ruling alliance has 56 members in Jharkhand assembly, the JMM claimed both the seats should go to them.
In the 81-member House, the NDA has 24 MLAs -- 21 from the BJP and one each from the LJP (Ram Vilas), AJSU Party and JD(U). The INDIA bloc has 56 members, comprising 34 from the JMM, 16 from the Congress, four from the RJD and two from CPI(ML) Liberation. The Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha has one MLA. PTI