Jharkhand: NDA-backed candidate Parimal Nathwani wins Rajya Sabha polls after cross-voting

Despite having the numbers, Congress suffered setbacks in Rajya Sabha contests in both Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. Yet, on the same day, it secured 16 extra votes to win comfortably in Karnataka's Legislative Council polls, highlighting stark contrasts in the party's political and alliance management.

How cross-voting, alliance cracks handed NDA's ParimHow cross-voting, alliance cracks handed NDA's Parimal Nathwani a Jharkhand Rajya Sabha berthal Nathwani a Jharkhand Rajya Sabha berth

Ranchi, UPDATED: Jun 19, 2026 12:48 IST

At a time when the BJP is facing sustained criticism from Opposition parties for allegedly engineering defections and engaging in political manoeuvring to shore up its parliamentary numbers ahead of the Monsoon Session, where contentious issues such as the Delimitation Bill are expected to figure prominently, the Congress has suffered embarrassments of its own.

Despite ostensibly possessing the requisite numbers, the party failed to secure two valuable Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, exposing shortcomings in its organisational grip, alliance management and legislative floor strategy.

Ironically, on the very same day that the Congress struggled to hold together support in Jharkhand, it scripted a remarkable victory in Karnataka, securing 16 additional votes during Legislative Council elections despite having a legislative strength of only 135. The contrasting outcomes have prompted a pertinent question: why does the same Congress display vastly different levels of political management in elections held on the same day?

WHAT WENT WRONG IN JHARKHAND?

To ensure the victory of Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Pranav Jha, the party had deputed two senior observers -- Bhupesh Baghel and Ajay Sharma.

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has handled several critical assignments for the Congress, including the Assam Assembly elections in 2021 and preparations for the 2026 polls, besides the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2022, but these interventions have rarely translated into electoral gains for the party.

Sources say Baghel remained in Ranchi only between June 6 and June 8, met Chief Minister Hemant Soren just once, and left without returning to oversee the crucial stages of election management. Ajay Sharma, too, was involved in the Congress' management during the Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, where party candidate Ajay Maken suffered a shock defeat to Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma despite favourable arithmetic.

A party source told India Today that AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal "didn't take much interest" in the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha contest for reasons "best known to him", and that the lack of active oversight eventually contributed to the defeat.

The blame, however, is not restricted to Congress managers. Party insiders suspect cross-voting by four RJD legislators and two CPI(ML) MLAs in favour of Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani. A party source involved in election management suggested that an "angry RJD" may have sought revenge for the Bihar Rajya Sabha elections, where its candidate A.D. Singh lost due to the absence of Congress MLAs.

Many leaders believe the RJD's grievances could have been addressed had the Congress high command shown greater urgency and political will. The episode has highlighted shortcomings in alliance management.

Another section of leaders argues that Hemant Soren's meeting with Nathwani ahead of the election sent the wrong political signal. Several legislators allegedly interpreted the meeting as an informal endorsement, creating optics that ultimately proved detrimental to the Congress candidate.

WHAT WENT RIGHT IN KARNATAKA?

While Congress managers in Jharkhand were struggling to retain their own support base, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Karnataka Congress president BK Hariprasad were busy expanding theirs.

All five MLC Congress candidates won the Legislative Council elections comfortably. Though the Congress had a strength of 135 legislators, its candidates eventually secured 151 votes. The BJP fell short by seven votes, polling 57 instead of its expected 64, while the JD(S) secured only 14 votes against an anticipated tally of 18, indicating significant cross-voting in favour of Congress.

Speaking to India Today, BK Hariprasad said the party "didn't leave anything to chance or fate." According to him, Congress carefully analysed the prevailing political landscape and acted accordingly.

Hariprasad cited previous Rajya Sabha victories secured by Congress candidates such as Ahmed Patel, Vivek Tankha and Karambir Singh Boddh in BJP-ruled states after 2014, arguing that indirect elections are ultimately decided by meticulous political management rather than merely by who heads the government in a state.

Another Karnataka leader further claimed that Congress successfully exploited simmering discontent and unfulfilled aspirations among BJP and JD(S) legislators, enabling it…