Ranchi, June 5: Tensions have escalated between two major coalition partners in Jharkhand, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress, ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections for two seats. Just 12 hours after Congress announced Pranav Jha as its candidate for one seat, JMM convened a meeting of its legislators and agreed to field candidates for both seats.
The party’s legislators have authorized Chief Minister and JMM’s executive president Hemant Soren to make the final decision. Following a meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence on Friday, JMM leaders Yogendra Prasad and Hafeezul Hasan informed the media that there was unanimous agreement among all legislators to contest both Rajya Sabha seats.
They stated that the names of the candidates will be announced before June 8. JMM leaders emphasized that as the largest political party in the state, it is their natural claim to contest both seats.
This stance from JMM comes at a time when Congress had declared Pranav Jha as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections late Thursday night. Following Congress’s announcement, it was assumed that an agreement on seat distribution within the coalition had been reached. However, the decisions made during JMM’s meeting have overturned this perception, revealing long-standing tensions and differences within the alliance.
Earlier, Congress had announced Pranav Jha as its candidate from Jharkhand, following a conversation between Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Minister Hemant Soren just two days prior. Additionally, Congress’s Jharkhand in-charge K. Raju and Telangana’s Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka had recently visited Ranchi to meet the Chief Minister and urged him to allocate one Rajya Sabha seat to Congress.
Despite this, JMM’s claim to both seats has now publicly exposed the rift within the ruling coalition. The coalition possesses sufficient strength in the Jharkhand Assembly to win both seats, but the deadlock over candidates raises questions about the unity of the alliance. While Congress shows no signs of backing down after announcing its candidate, JMM also appears unwilling to relinquish its claim to both seats.
This escalating conflict between the two allied parties has become a significant development in the state’s politics, with attention now focused on the next steps from Hemant Soren and the Congress leadership.
Leave a Comment