The election to two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand has once again brought differences between the JMM and the Congress to the fore.Two days ago, the Congress went ahead and announced Pranav Jha as its candidate for one of the seats without consulting Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.On Friday, JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said the party would field candidates for both seats and would not accept the Congress nominee. With the JMM taking a firm stand, the Congress leadership moved into damage-control mode, with the party's state in-charge K Raju meeting Soren.On Saturday, the JMM announced senior party leader Baijnath Ram as its candidate for one of the seats, while it is yet to name a nominee for the second seat. The Congress is trying to persuade the JMM leadership to back its candidate for the other seat, particularly as the BJP is also expected to field a nominee.Jharkhand has 81 Assembly seats, and 28 votes are required to ensure the election of one RS candidate. The JMM has 34 MLAs, the Congress 16, the RJD four and the CPI(ML) two, giving the alliance a total of 56 votes.
JMM-Congress spar over Jharkhand RS seats
Disagreements have surfaced between the JMM and Congress over Jharkhand's Rajya Sabha elections. The Congress nominated Pranav Jha without consulting Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The JMM plans to field candidates for both seats, rejecting the Congress nominee. The JMM has announced Baijnath Ram as one candidate. The alliance holds enough votes to secure both seats.










