RAJYA SABHA POLLS

Nathwani, Baidyanath Ram emerge victorious, Congress misses out

Cross voting allegations by ruling coalition during polls  

Pranav Pratyush

Ranchi

In a dramatic turn of events in the Rajya Sabha elections from Jharkhand, the ruling INDIA bloc suffered an unexpected setback as Congress candidate Pranav Jha failed to secure a seat despite the alliance enjoying a clear numerical majority in the State Assembly. The two seats were eventually won by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) nominee Baidyanath Ram and independent candidate Parimal Nathwani, who was backed by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The outcome has sparked intense political debate across the State and fuelled speculation about possible cross-voting by legislators during the election process.

As per the official results, Baidyanath Ram secured 30 votes and comfortably emerged victorious. Parimal Nathwani obtained 28 votes, although two ballots cast in his favour were declared invalid. Congress nominee Pranav Jha secured 20 votes, while one vote polled for him was also rejected.

The result came as a major surprise considering the numerical strength enjoyed by the ruling alliance. Prior to the election, the INDIA bloc—which includes the JMM, Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI(ML)—commanded the support of 56 legislators in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly. The NDA, on the other hand, had only 24 MLAs, leading many observers to believe that both alliance-backed candidates would be elected without difficulty.

However, the final outcome defied political calculations and altered the expected script. While Baidyanath Ram’s victory was largely anticipated, Nathwani managed to edge past the Congress candidate and capture the second seat, triggering questions about voting patterns within the Assembly.

After the elections State Congress in-charge K Raju blamed coalition partners CPI-ML and RJD for the defeat. He clearly said that Congress candidate Pranav Jha got 16 votes from Congress MLAs and 4 votes from JMM, but, he said, the RJD and CPI-ML legislators ditched the coalition.

A veteran parliamentarian with strong corporate and political connections, Nathwani had conducted an extensive outreach campaign among legislators in the run-up to the election. Throughout the campaign, he maintained that he was receiving support from lawmakers cutting across party lines. The election result appears to have reinforced those claims.

The outcome has inevitably intensified discussions around cross-voting. Given the existing arithmetic in the Assembly, Nathwani’s success has led to widespread conjecture that some legislators may have departed from their alliance’s official position while casting their ballots. Although no party has publicly identified any legislator responsible for such a move, the issue is expected to remain at the centre of political discourse in the coming days.

Political observers believe the result carries significance beyond the immediate contest for Rajya Sabha seats. Nathwani’s victory is being viewed as a morale booster for the NDA in Jharkhand, while the Congress is likely to face scrutiny over its ability to maintain unity and ensure effective coordination within the ruling coalition.

With the election producing an outcome few had predicted, political attention is now focused on its potential impact on future alignments and electoral strategies in Jharkhand, where the unexpected result has once again underscored the unpredictability of legislative politics.