Ahead of the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, the BJP-led NDA is shifting its legislators to a hotel in Ranchi. The move is described by NDA sources as a routine arrangement for polling preparations, with reports saying MLAs stay at the hotel until election day and are taken to the Assembly for voting. The exercise comes amid political activity and allegations. A Congress legislator claims some BJP MLAs are in contact with leaders of the INDIA bloc, while a BJP leader rejects the allegation and says legislators are kept together for coordination.
The Rajya Sabha elections cover two seats. One seat is vacant following the death of JMM co-founder Shibu Soren, and the other falls due to the end of Deepak Prakash’s term on June 21. The NDA-backed Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani is associated with the NDA legislative lineup and is reported to have been present during an alliance meeting where seven NDA legislators did not attend. Opposition candidates include JMM’s Baidyanath Ram and Congress’s Pranav Jha. Polling requires candidates to secure a minimum of 28 first-preference votes, according to reports.
