Congress to ask JMM to support its candidate for Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand

The Congress forced a contest in 2020 when it fielded a candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand but lost after two a former BJP ally and two Independents supported the BJP candidate.

RANCHI: The Congress intends to ask the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the lead partner in the state coalition, to back its candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections, Congress in-charge for the state Avinash Pande, said on Wednesday.

Elections to two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand are expected to be held in July (HT File Photo)

Pande said the Rajya Sabha expected in July are still some time away and a decision will be taken closer to the announcement of the election by the poll watchdog.

The JMM has 30 members in the 81-seat assembly. A candidate needs 27 votes to win.

“However, in 2020, the JMM fielded its president on the first preference seat. As coalition dharma, it should help us field our candidate this time round. We will discuss the issue once we get closer to the polls. Any decision would be taken after discussion with the alliance partner,” Pande said.

JMM president Shibu Soren and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Deepak Prakash won the two seats in 2020. The Congress did field Shahzada Anwar but lost.

Pande dismissed speculation around the names of candidates who may be fielded by the ruling alliance. Names of Congres veterans and senior Supreme Court lawyers such as Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi are being mentioned in this context as they are advising chief minister Hemant Soren on the BJP’s complaint seeking the chief minister’s disqualification under section 9A of the Representation of People Act over the grand of a mining lease in his name. Asked, Pande insisted that no name was under discussion within the party at this stage.