While only four days are left to file nominations for the two Rajya Sabha seats going to polls on June 18, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders said on Thursday that they were yet to receive any direction from the top leadership regarding extending support to the INDIA bloc candidate.
Addressing reporters after a meeting of the RJD legislature party here on Thursday, Deoghar legislator Suresh Paswan said they were waiting for directions from the top.
“We are loyal workers of Lalu ji and Tejashwi ji. We are yet to receive any direction from our top leaders. Neither our leaders have told us anything nor has any probable candidate approached us. We will abide by whatever our top leadership decides,” said Paswan, who is also RJD legislature party leader.
With four members in the Jharkhand Assembly, the Lalu Prasad-led RJD is the third largest party in the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government in Jharkhand led by CM Hemant Soren. One of the four legislators, Sanjay Prasad Yadav, is sole member of the Hemant Soren cabinet.
The JMM, with 34 members in Assembly, is set to win one of the two RS seats, the Congress, the second largest ally with 16 legislators, has staked its claim for the second seat before the chief minister. While the Congress leadership has underlined that they will field their candidate, the JMM is yet to make a final decision regarding the stalemate in the INDIA bloc. The support of the RJD legislators would be crucial for any candidate eyeing the second RS seat.
{{/usCountry}}The JMM, with 34 members in Assembly, is set to win one of the two RS seats, the Congress, the second largest ally with 16 legislators, has staked its claim for the second seat before the chief minister. While the Congress leadership has underlined that they will field their candidate, the JMM is yet to make a final decision regarding the stalemate in the INDIA bloc. The support of the RJD legislators would be crucial for any candidate eyeing the second RS seat.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a party event, Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju said the Congress was waiting for the JMM’s decision.
“We are waiting for their decision. It’s likely that the top leaders of the two parties (Hemant Soren and Rahul Gandhi) will discuss the issue between them by tonight,” said Raju.
Raju along with other senior Congress leaders, including the Telangana dy CM, met Soren last Friday and presented their demand for the second seat. Sources, meanwhile, said the party’s political affairs committee would meet on Friday and decide on the future course of action.