File photo of Baidyanath Ram.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Saturday (June 6, 2026) nominated former Minister Baidyanath Ram as its candidate for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in the State, going to polls on June 18, a party official said.JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya told reporters that Mr. Ram will file his nomination papers in the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren on June 8.On the second seat, Mr. Bhattacharya said the final decision will be taken on this by party leadership following a discussion with the Congress.The Congress on Friday (June 5, 2026) announced senior party functionary Pranav Jha as its candidate for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from the state.The ruling JMM legislators, during a meeting chaired by the chief minister on Friday, had demanded that the party contest both the seats going to the polls.One of the Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant following the death of JMM co-founder Shibu Soren, while BJP member Deepak Prakash will complete his six-year term on June 21.The nomination process for the elections commenced on June 1, and the last date for filing papers is June 8. Polling will be held on June 18.To ensure victory, a candidate is required to secure a minimum of 28 first-preference votes.In the Jharkhand Assembly, the INDIA bloc has 56 members, comprising 34 from the JMM, 16 from the Congress, four from the RJD and two from CPI(ML) Liberation.The NDA has 24 MLAs — 21 from the BJP and one each from the LJP (Ram Vilas), AJSU Party and JD(U). Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha has one MLA. Published - June 06, 2026 02:57 pm IST
