RS polls: 3 candidates including Shibu Soren in fray for 2 seats from Jharkhand

Ranchi: Three candidates including JMM president Shibu Soren are in the fray for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, the elections for which will be held on June 19.

Soren, Congress candidate Shahzada Anwar and BJP state president Deepak Prakash had filed their nomination papers in March after the Election Commission had issued the notification for the two Rajya Seats.

The Rajya Sabha election in the state was scheduled to be held on March 26 but was postponed due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown to contain the spread of infection and will now be held on June 19.

The polling for the two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand is necessitated as the tenure of Independent member Parimal Nathwani and RJDs Prem Chand Gupta ended in April.

“All preparations are ready, ballot papers have been printed as 79 of the 82 members are eligible for voting,” said a senior official of the Assembly Secretariat.

While the nominated MLA has no voting right in the Rajya Sabha elections, two seats in the 82-member Assembly are vacant. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren vacated Dumka seat while retaining Barhait.

The Bermo assembly seat fell vacant after senior Congress MLA Rajendra Prasad Singh died last month.

In the Jharkhand Assembly, the JMM has 29 MLAs, BJP 25, Congress 15, JVM(P) 3, AJSU 2, CPI(ML-Liberation) 1, NCP 1, RJD 1 and Independents 2.