NDA-backed candidate wins Jharkhand Rajya Sabha polls after cross-voting
Amid cross-voting, NDA-backed Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani on Thursday won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand, defeating Congress candidate Pranav Jha. The
Amid cross-voting, NDA-backed Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani on Thursday won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand, defeating Congress candidate Pranav Jha. The second seat was won by ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Baidyanath Ram. Nathwani secured 28 votes and was declared elected, while Jha received 20 votes, according to an official. Ram polled 30 votes to win the other seat. Read Full Story The election witnessed cross-voting, with three votes being declared invalid. Of these, two were cast by BJP MLAs and one by a Congress legislator, the official said. The BJP-led NDA has 24 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, four short of the 28 first-preference votes required to secure a Rajya Sabha berth. The ruling INDIA bloc, comprising the JMM, Congress and their allies, has 56 members in the House.
Voting for the two Rajya Sabha seats concluded on Thursday, with all 81 MLAs casting their votes at the polling station set up on the Assembly premises. The results saw Nathwani emerge victorious despite the NDA lacking the required numbers on its own, indicating cross-voting during the election process. The other seat went to JMM’s Baidyanath Ram, ensuring representation for the ruling alliance in the Upper House of Parliament. With the victory, Nathwani has been elected to the Rajya Sabha for a historic fourth term. He will represent Jharkhand once again after previously serving two consecutive terms as an Independent MP from the state between 2008 and 2020. He is also credited with holding the distinction of being one of the longest-serving Independent members in the history of the Rajya Sabha. After representing Andhra Pradesh in the Upper House from 2020, his latest election marks a return to Jharkhand, which he has long described as his "karmabhoomi".
Following his victory, Nathwani expressed gratitude for being elected to a fourth term in the Rajya Sabha. In a post on X, he said the moment carried profound emotion as it would be his third term from Jharkhand, the state from where his parliamentary journey began in 2008. Calling Jharkhand his "karmabhoomi", Nathwani thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP leaders and the BJP-led NDA for their support. He also expressed appreciation to all members of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly who voted for and supported him during the election. In a separate statement, Nathwani thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President Nitin Nabin, Jharkhand BJP President Aditya Sahu, BJP Legislature Party leader Babulal Marandi, BJP Chief Whip Naveen Jaiswal and all BJP and NDA legislators for their support in his victory.
The BriefWire