INDIA bloc’s Ahmed, BJP’s Verma file nomination for RS elections
Former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Sarfaraz Ahmed and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s state unit general secretary Pradeep Verma filed their nomination papers for two Rajya Sabha seats from the state on Monday, the last day for putting up candidature for the biennial elections on March 21.
However, the fact that only two persons have filed nominations against two seats, and going by the numbers stacked in the Jharkhand assembly, leaders close to developments said both Ahmed and Verma are set to sail through to the upper house of Parliament uncontested.
“As per the election schedule, scrutiny of nomination papers has to be done by March 14. Each candidate needs 27 first preference votes to win, and each side has enough members in the house; both are set to win,” an assembly official said.
Meanwhile, chief minister Champai Soren, Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam, RJD minister Satyanand Bhokta, and CPI (ML) legislator Binod Singh accompanied Ahmed in filing his nomination before the returning officer in the Jharkhand assembly.
On the other hand, Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi, Leader of the Opposition Amar Bauri, legislator Lambodar Mahto of ally AJSU Party, and the lone MLA of NCP (Ajit) joined Verma to file his nomination papers.
Soren said, “We maintain transparency in every work we do in the coalition. We have unanimously decided to send Sarafaraz Ahmad to Rajya Sabha.”Ahmad said, “I have worked for the people of Jharkhand and will continue doing it.”He said his nomination sends a message that the “INDIA bloc will face every challenge together in the state”.
Thanking former chief minister Hemant Soren, incumbent Champai Soren, and other leaders of the alliance, Ahmed said he would “try to live up to the expectations of the people”.
“The decision (to send him to the Rajya Sabha) shows our former CM Hemant Soren walks the talk. I have been in Parliament earlier, and I would use my experience to raise the issues of the people of Jharkhand,” said Ahmed.
Ahmed has earlier represented Giridih in the Lok Sabha, besides being a member of the Bihar legislative council and a member of the Jharkhand assembly.
Ahmed, on December 31, had resigned from the Jharkhand assembly potentially to vacate the Gandey seat for a member of former chief minister Hemant Soren’s family to contest from the seat in the wake of the prevailing political situation then.
BJP’s nominee, Pradeep Verma, thanked the party leadership for trusting him for the Rajya Sabha seat.
The tenure of the current Rajya Sabha MPs from the state, Samir Oraon of the BJP and Diraj Prasad Sahu of the Congress, is set to end on May 3, necessitating fresh elections to fill the vacancies.