Cong blames Left, RJD for Rajya Sabha debacle; Left retorts

Pioneer News Service
Ranchi

A political storm has erupted within Jharkhand’s ruling INDIA bloc following the defeat of Congress candidate Pranav Jha in the Rajya Sabha election, with the Congress accusing some alliance partners of failing to support its nominee despite the coalition’s numerical advantage in the Assembly.

Jharkhand Congress in-charge K. Raju alleged that while all 16 Congress MLAs and four JMM legislators supported Jha, other alliance partners did not adhere to the agreed strategy. He specifically claimed that the RJD and CPI(ML) failed to uphold alliance principles, contributing to the Congress candidate’s defeat.

Raju said the election outcome suggested that some Grand Alliance constituents did not vote as expected and announced that the Congress would review the entire episode. “Had all alliance partners voted in a united manner, the result could have been different,” he said, adding that the party would investigate how its candidate lost despite the alliance having sufficient numbers.

State minister and Congress leader Deepika Pandey Singh defended the unity of Congress legislators and said the party had received significant support from the JMM. She claimed that Chief Minister Hemant Soren had assured four votes and delivered on that commitment. According to her, JMM legislators also extended second-preference votes to the Congress candidate. On whether the result could affect the stability of the government, she said it was too early to draw conclusions, but the matter would be discussed and a detailed report submitted to the party’s top leadership.

The allegations, however, were strongly rejected by CPI(ML) MLA Arup Chatterjee. Describing the Congress charges as baseless, he said both CPI(ML) MLAs had voted for Pranav Jha and that his party had fully honoured alliance commitments.

Chatterjee accused the Congress of attempting to shift blame instead of introspecting on its own shortcomings. He suggested that some Congress legislators may not have supported the party candidate and questioned the Congress leadership’s handling of the election. He also pointed to reports that Congress MLAs had been housed in a hotel, arguing that the party itself lacked confidence in its legislators.

Calling the result a consequence of internal factionalism and leadership failure within the Congress, Chatterjee said the party should examine its own organisational weaknesses rather than target its allies. The controversy has intensified speculation over cross-voting and exposed fresh strains within the ruling alliance.