Ranchi, June 19: Tensions have escalated within the Indie Alliance following the defeat of Congress candidate Pranav Jha in the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand. Just hours after the election results were announced, Congress accused its allies, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML), of cross-voting. In response, both parties questioned Congress’s organizational management and its grip on its legislators.
In the elections for two Rajya Sabha seats, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) Baijnath Ram and NDA-backed independent candidate Parimal Nathwani emerged victorious, while Congress’s Pranav Jha faced defeat. Despite the India Alliance’s numerical strength in the assembly, Congress’s loss has raised several questions in political circles.
K. Raju, Congress’s in-charge for Jharkhand, stated that their candidate received the expected votes from Congress and JMM, but did not get support from RJD and CPI-ML. He accused some legislators from these allied parties of cross-voting in favor of the NDA-backed candidate.
Congress MLA and Minister Deepika Pandey Singh also questioned the role of the allied parties, urging them to clarify their stance during the voting.
Both RJD and CPI-ML have outright rejected Congress’s allegations. RJD’s National General Secretary Bhola Yadav claimed that all party legislators voted in favor of the Indie Alliance candidate, following the directives of their national president, Lalu Prasad Yadav. He asserted that he was present as an authorized agent during the voting process and that legislators showed him their votes. He labeled Congress’s accusations as baseless and unfortunate.
Sanjay Yadav, RJD’s state president and minister, emphasized that RJD has always adhered to coalition principles. He advised Congress to review its own organizational situation before blaming others.
RJD legislator Suresh Paswan criticized Congress, suggesting that the party was trying to shift the blame for its political failures onto its allies. He claimed that all four RJD legislators voted for the Congress candidate.
Meanwhile, CPI-ML also strongly countered Congress’s claims. The party’s Jharkhand state secretary Manoj Bhakt stated that both of their legislators voted for the Congress candidate. He confirmed that authorized representatives were present during the voting to verify the process.
CPI-ML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya remarked that Congress was deflecting attention from its weaknesses by blaming its allies. He warned that making unfounded accusations could harm the unity and credibility of the Indie Alliance.
Political analysts believe that the election results have exposed the contradictions within the grand alliance. While Congress holds its allies responsible for cross-voting, RJD and CPI-ML assert that Congress failed to secure full support from its own legislators.
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