RS Polls: 3 Candidates, 2 Seats And 1 Wild Card. Why Jharkhand Is The Only Real Contest Today

Published 18 June 2026 · politics

RS Polls: 3 Candidates, 2 Seats And 1 Wild Card. Why Jharkhand Is The Only Real Contest Today Curated By, Last Updated: June 18, 2026

RS Polls: 3 Candidates, 2 Seats And 1 Wild Card. Why Jharkhand Is The Only Real Contest Today Curated By, Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 08:24 IST Rajya Sabha Elections 2026: The poll uses a preference-based voting system and while parties monitor voting, history shows that legislators don't always stick to party lines Rapid Read Under the Rajya Sabha voting system, a candidate requires 28 first-preference votes to secure victory. (AFP) Jharkhand Rajya Sabha Election 2026: On paper, the Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand should have been straightforward. The ruling INDIA bloc has 56 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA has only 24. Yet, with voting set to begin for two Rajya Sabha seats, both camps are behaving as if they are fighting a cliff-hanger. MLAs have been herded into hotels, strategy meetings have stretched late into the night, and fears of cross-voting have dominated political conversations. The reason is simple: this election is not really about the first seat. It is about the second. The Contest At A Glance Three candidates are in the fray for two seats—JMM’s Baidyanath Ram, Congress’s Pranav Jha, and BJP-backed Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani. ALSO READ | Rajya Sabha Elections 2026 Winners: Mallikarjun Kharge, Tarun Chugh Among 22 MPs Elected Unopposed Under the Rajya Sabha voting system, a candidate requires 28 first-preference votes to secure victory.

With 56 MLAs, the INDIA bloc theoretically has enough numbers to win both seats. But the arithmetic becomes tight after the first seat is accounted for. JMM alone has enough strength to comfortably push Baidyanath Ram over the 28-vote threshold. Most observers expect him to win without difficulty. But the real battle begins after that. The Second Seat And The Nathwani Challenge The BJP has not fielded its own candidate. Instead, it has thrown its weight behind Parimal Nathwani, the businessman-politician who represented Jharkhand in the Rajya Sabha from 2008 to 2020 and is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh. The NDA’s calculation is straightforward. It knows it lacks the 28 votes required for a direct win. Nathwani’s victory therefore depends on attracting support beyond the NDA’s own camp and benefiting from any cross-voting within the ruling alliance. That possibility is precisely what has rattled the INDIA bloc. Why Cross-Voting Is the Biggest Fear The Rajya Sabha election uses a preference-based voting system, and while parties issue whips and closely monitor voting, history shows that legislators do not always stick to party lines. The BJP senses an opportunity because recent Rajya Sabha elections in states such as Bihar and Odisha produced surprise outcomes after cross-voting helped NDA-backed candidates outperform expectations.