Jharkhand RS Polls: CPI-ML Rejects Cross-Voting Charge; Congress Blames Allies for Nathwani’s Surprise Win

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Ranchi (IANS): The Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist-Liberation (CPI-ML) on Thursday strongly denied allegations of cross-voting in the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha elections. The denial followed accusations from the Congress party that its alliance partners caused the defeat of its candidate, Pranav Jha.

The controversy erupted after Jharkhand Congress in-charge K. Raju alleged that legislators from the RJD and the CPI-ML “betrayed” the Congress. He blamed them for the victory of NDA-backed independent candidate Parimal Nathwani, even though the INDIA bloc enjoyed a comfortable majority in the Assembly.

Rejecting the charge, CPI-ML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya stated that the party’s two MLAs supported the Congress nominee.

“As for the speculation over the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha voting, we can say with full responsibility that our two MLAs voted for the Congress candidate as planned. Two of our senior leaders, Polit Bureau member Haldhar Mahato and Central Committee member Geeta Mandal, duly verified the votes cast by CPI-ML legislators,” Dipankar said in a statement.

The Rajya Sabha election outcome has triggered intense political debate, as voting patterns strongly indicate cross-voting within the ruling INDIA bloc.

For the two contested seats, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Baijnath Ram easily secured a win with 31 votes. However, Congress nominee Jha managed only 20 votes, while Nathwani secured victory by polling 30 votes. Officials declared two of Nathwani’s votes invalid, leaving him with 28 valid votes—still enough to win.

All 81 members of the Jharkhand Assembly cast their ballots in the election.

The result raises serious questions for the INDIA bloc, which commands 56 MLAs in the Assembly (34 from the JMM, 16 from the Congress, four from the RJD, and two from the CPI-ML). In contrast, the NDA holds only 24 legislators.

Given this arithmetic, observers expected the INDIA bloc to comfortably elect both its candidates. Instead, political analysts estimate that at least six to seven legislators voted against the party line.

The Congress has now turned its focus toward its allies, with party leaders openly questioning whether all alliance partners stuck to the agreed voting strategy. However, the CPI-ML’s categorical denial has further complicated efforts to pinpoint the source of the alleged cross-voting.

The outcome deals a significant political setback to the Congress and exposes underlying strains within the Jharkhand INDIA bloc. Nathwani’s victory highlights yet again how political calculations and internal dissension can override sheer legislative numbers in high-stakes elections.

As accusations and counter-accusations fly, the Rajya Sabha poll result will likely force the opposition alliance into deep introspection regarding its coordination, trust, and floor management.