The decision on the nomination of independent candidate Parimal Nathwani led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand was expected on Wednesday after the Congress pointed out “discrepancies” in his nomination papers.
People familiar with the matter said Nathwani was asked to clarify the issues raised by Congress legislator Naman Bixale Kungari in relation to his papers before 11am on Wednesday. Returning Officer Ranjit Kumar will later decide on the issue, they added.
The developments in Jharkhand coincided with the cancellation of the nomination of Congress Party candidate Meenakshi Natarajan for the Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday after objections to her failure to disclose a court summons issued in connection with a rape case against the Congress leader in Telangana in 2022.
The cancellation means that all three BJP candidates from Madhya Pradesh will go to Rajya Sabha. This came even as the Congress was taking precautionary measures to protect its flock amid speculation that Natarajan was not the state unit’s choice and that some legislators might vote against her across party lines.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress have nominated Badyanath Ram and Pranav Jha for the two vacant seats in the eastern state. Nathwani, a three-term Rajya Sabha member, filed his nomination as the NDA-backed candidate. Tuesday was devoted to checking the papers.
JMM has 34 members in Jharkhand Assembly. He is scheduled to win one of the two seats. Congress includes 16 legislators. A candidate needs 28 first-preference votes in the 81-member council to win. The National Democratic Rally has 24 deputies, and the ruling bloc has 56 deputies.
A BJP legislator said that the reply regarding Nathwani’s papers had been submitted to the returning officer via an affidavit. “Nthwani’s lawyers will be present at the rally again on Wednesday and, if necessary, will provide all the required details. The returning officer will decide on the matter at 11am on Wednesday, when the complainants will also be present at the rally.”
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress observer for the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha elections, wondered whether the law would be followed in the decision-making process.
“A discrepancy has been reported in the nomination papers of Parimal Nathwani, the BJP-backed candidate for the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha elections. A hearing is underway on the complaint. It remains to be seen whether this BJP-backed candidate will retain his nomination merely because he has the protective shield of the BJP, or whether the same rules will apply to him as well, leading to a defeat for unethical practices,” Baghel said in a social media post on Tuesday.
The biennial elections will be held on June 18 for 24 Rajya Sabha seats in 10 states, with the NDA seeking a two-thirds majority in the Upper House. The BJP is the largest party with 113 members (including five nominated legislators). The National Democratic Rally holds 149 seats in the 245-member House of Representatives.
