Jharkhand Rajya Sabha Polls: JMM Challenges Congress for Both Seats

Ranchi (IANS): The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections have exposed sharp rifts within Jharkhand’s ruling alliance as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress clash over seat-sharing.

Hours after the Congress announced Pranav Jha as its candidate for one of the state’s two Rajya Sabha seats, the JMM decided to field its own candidates for both seats.

JMM legislators and senior leaders met at Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence, where the MLAs authorized Soren—who also serves as the JMM Executive President—to make the final decision.

Following the meeting, party leaders Yogendra Prasad and Hafizul Hasan told reporters that the MLAs unanimously want the JMM to contest both seats. They noted that the party will announce its candidates before June 8.

JMM leaders argued that as the state’s largest political party, they hold a natural claim to both seats. This aggressive stance directly counters the Congress’s late Thursday night announcement of Pranav Jha—an AICC secretary and political adviser to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge—as its Jharkhand candidate.

While the Congress announcement initially suggested the alliance had reached a consensus, the JMM’s sudden counter-move shattered that assumption and exposed long-simmering tensions between the allies.

The standoff follows intense lobbying by the Congress. President Kharge spoke with Chief Minister Soren two days before announcing Jha’s candidacy. Additionally, Congress’s Jharkhand in-charge K. Raju and Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka recently visited Ranchi to personally urge the Chief Minister to allot one seat to the Congress.

Despite these high-level efforts, the JMM’s dual-seat claim has triggered a major internal crisis.

Neither side shows signs of backing down; Congress is standing firm on its nominee, while the JMM refuses to cede ground.

Although the ruling alliance commands enough votes in the Jharkhand Assembly to win both seats, the candidate deadlock heavily threatens their political unity. With the nomination deadline looming, this alliance tussle has taken center stage in state politics. All eyes now look to Hemant Soren and the Congress high command for their next move.

The election for 24 Rajya Sabha seats takes place on June 18.