Notification for elections to two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand was issued on Tuesday. With this process for election has commenced as candidates can file nominations. The last date for filing nomination forms is May 31. As per schedule fixed by the Election Commission of India, the nomination papers of the candidates will be scrutinized on June 1, while candidates can withdraw their names by June 3. Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections will be held on June 10.
The notification for RS poll has commenced but till date no party has declared the name of their candidates. Two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand will be vacant as tenure of two Rajya Sabha members, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Mahesh Poddar from Jharkhand is expiring on July 7, 2022.
Sources said that the name of National Vice President and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das is leading from the BJP side. Apart from Das, there is news that BJP will finally retain Naqvi from one of the seats.
However, from the UPA camp there are no such names till date. The Congress party has been demanding one Rajya Sabha seat from JMM, however, till date there is no such indication from JMM. Meanwhile, in another development Chief Minister Hemant Soren will leave for Delhi on Wednesday. Sources said that Soren is going to Delhi on the call of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The Congress leadership has called Soren for discussion on Rajya Sabha candidates.
Sources said that senior Congressman and Supreme Court lawyer Kapil Sibal is likely to be fielded from JMM ticket. The name of Sibal is also doing rounds as he is appearing for the State Government in a mining lease case at the High Court.
Sources said independent MLAs and those from smaller parties this time too are going to play a vital role in Rajya Sabha polls. As Congress has started bargaining from its big alliance partner JMM, claiming for one Rajya Sabha seat the role of Independents has become important.
In the house of 81 members, the strength of JMM is 30 MLAs, BJP has 26 MLAs, Congress has 17 MLAs, AJSU party two, RJD one, NCP one, CPI (ML) one and two independents. While NCP and CPI (ML) support the government, the AJSU and two independents are in saffron fold.
