Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav with Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren during the funeral of former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren
NEW DELHI: Can the INDIA bloc keep its flock together in Jharkhand to thwart BJP-led NDA’s Rajya Sabha challenge in the state? Or will we see a re-run of Bihar and Odisha, where the BJP, helped by cross-voting, managed to spring a surprise by winning one extra seat each in both the states in March this year? Well, the stage is set for a keen contest of numbers on the floor of Jharkhand assembly tomorrow when the MLAs vote to select two Rajya Sabha members from the state.
There are three candidates in the fray: JMM's Baidyanath Ram, Congress's Pranav Jha and BJP-backed Independent nominee Parimal Nathwani.
The numbers game
A candidate is required to get a minimum of 28 first-preference votes to emerge victorious in the June 18 polls. The BJP-led NDA has 24 MLAs in the Jharkhand assembly, while the INDIA bloc has 56 members, which includes 34 of Hemant Soren ’s JMM and 16 of the Congress and four of the RJD. The ruling INDIA bloc has the exact number of votes needed to win two Rajya Sabha seats.
But what should have been an easy election for the INDIA bloc has been turned into a keen contest with the BJP-led NDA deciding to enter the fray through an independent candidate despite not having enough numbers to win a seat on its own.
INDIA bloc vs NDA How numbers stack up in Jharkhand
The BJP has made the election interesting by backing independent candidate Parimal Nathwani. Nathwani has already served two terms in Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand. While the JMM's Baidyanath Ram is expected to win easily, all eyes are on the second seat, in which there could be a tough fight between Congress's Jha and NDA-backed Nathwani.
Hotel politics
Both the ruling and the opposition camp are leaving no stone unturned to keep their MLAs intact ahead of tomorrow’s polling. The NDA MLAs were shifted to a hotel in Ranchi on Tuesday, while the ruling INDIA bloc is also keeping a close watch on its MLAs and had held meetings to prevent cross-voting. The NDA stepped up preparations to ensure unity among its MLAs and familiarise them with the voting process. MLAs of the alliance were briefed on the voting procedure on Wednesday and trained through a mock poll to minimise the possibility of any technical errors during voting. BJP state president Aditya Sahu, leader of opposition Babulal Marandi, and Parimal Nathwani, among others, were present during the exercise. Meanwhile, the ruling INDIA bloc MLAs, including those from the Congress, also participated in a mock poll during a meeting at chief minister Hemant Soren's residence on Tuesday night to make the new legislators aware of the voting exercise.
Both camps confident
The INDIA bloc and the NDA are both confident of a win in tomorrow’s poll.
"We all 56 MLAs of the INDIA bloc are united, and we will win both the Rajya Sabha seats," Congress MLA Suresh Baitha said. However, the BJP chief whip in Jharkhand Naveen Jaiswal also claimed victory for their supported candidate. BJP state chief Sahu also asserted that all NDA MLAs are united and will extend full support to Parimal Nathwani. He expressed confidence that Nathwani’s victory is "100 per cent certain".
"Several MLAs from the opposition camp will vote as per their conscience and in the larger national interest," the state BJP chief claimed. The Congress, in a bid to prevent cross-voting, has appointed its state-in-charge K Raju as the party’s polling agent for tomorrow’s voting. "Last-minute preparations are being done here. In the evening, all the INDIA bloc legislators will meet at the chief minister's residence for the final strategy discussion," Minister Dipika Pandey Singh told reporters and exuded confidence in winning both the seats. RJD and CPI(ML) leaders also met the Congress leaders at the hotel. "I was here for a courtesy visit. All our MLAs are intact, and we (INDIA bloc) will win both the seats," CPI(ML) Liberation legislator Arup Chatterjee said.
Will BJP spring a surprise like it did in Bihar, Odisha?
In March this year, the INDIA bloc suffered a shock defeat in Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar when the Mahagathbandhan candidate of the RJD failed to win due to cross-voting by one party MLA and 3 Congress MLAs.
The four legislators did not turn up to vote. Had the four voted, the RJD candidate would have secured 41 votes against the required threshold of 40. But due to cross-voting he could poll only 37 and BJP ended up winning an extra seat. An almost identical story played out in Odisha. The BJP here gained a bonus seat after the BJD suffered a shock defeat due to cross voting. Eight BJD members and three Congress MLAs cross-voted to help BJP-backed Independent Dilip Ray win a Rajya Sabha seat defeating BJD and Congress’s joint candidate Datteswar Hota.
The outcome was a blow to BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, who had led the BJD’s strategy to keep the legislature party united.…
Read the full article at Times of India →📄Source document: PTI Report→18 reports
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Bias read (Center): The article presents facts about the election results and quotes both the BJP and Congress without overtly favoring either side. It reports on the cross-voting incidents and the reactions from both parties without using biased language or omitting key perspectives.
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Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information without overtly biased language or selective sourcing. It reports on the situation objectively, mentioning both the BJP's concerns and the election results without taking a clear stance on the validity of the cross-voting claims or the actions of any specific
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Official sources cited
- press release PTI sources
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Official sources cited
- organisation Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra statement
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Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual account of the election results and the subsequent reactions from the party leadership without overtly favoring any political side. It focuses on the internal dynamics and strategic decisions made by the JD(S) and BJP without using biased language or selective sourcing
The HinduIndependentCenter2 days ago Cross-voting from BJP embarrasses party, likely to lead to more high command control of State unitIn the recent Council elections, at least three BJP MLAs reportedly voted for the Congress, causing embarrassment for the party. Leader of Opposition R. Ashok stated that the party would investigate and take action against those who cross-voted. The BJP had allocated 30 votes each to two candidates, but neither received enough votes initially, leading to a runoff where one candidate ultimately won with second-preference votes.
Bias read (Center): The article presents facts about the election results and quotes party officials without overtly favoring either the BJP or the Congress. It does not use emotionally charged language or selectively omit information to frame the situation in a particular light. The content remains focused on the vote
Official sources cited
- government Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok
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Bias read (Center): The article presents factual results of an election without overtly biased language or selective emphasis. It reports on the outcomes and mentions cross-voting by various parties but does not frame the event with a clear ideological slant. The tone remains neutral, focusing on the numerical outcome,
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Official sources cited
- government Jharkhand minister and Congress leader Deepika Pandey Singh
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Bias read (Center): The article provides a factual account of the election results without apparent bias. It reports the outcomes, quotes both Congress and BJP officials, and explains the voting dynamics without favoring any side. There is no loaded language or one-sided sourcing.
Official sources cited
- court Parimal Nathwani
- court Pranav
- court Baidyanath Ram
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Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information without apparent bias, focusing on vote counts, candidates, and the outcome of the election. It does not favor any political group through language, framing, or emphasis.
Official sources cited
- government Official Statement on Vote Counts
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Bias read (Center): The article provides a factual overview of the electoral dynamics without overtly favoring any side. It presents the situation objectively, highlighting the number of MLAs for each bloc and the current status of the race without using biased language or emphasizing one perspective over another.
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Bias read (Center): The article provides a balanced overview of the situation without overtly favoring any political group. It mentions the involvement of multiple parties, their strategies, and logistical details of the election process without using biased language or emphasizing one side over another.
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Bias read (Center): The article provides a factual account of events related to the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, presenting information about the movement of MLAs and the current political composition of the assembly. It includes direct quotes from a BJP MLA and does not exhibit biased language, one-sided sourc,
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Bias read (Center): The article presents both perspectives — the MLAs' claims of voluntary participation and the broader context of resort politics — without overtly favoring one side. It includes direct quotes from officials and provides background information without apparent bias.
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