Jharkhand: JMM's Sarfaraz Ahmad, BJP's Pradeep Verma Elected To Rajya Sabha Unopposed

Syed Javed Haider has a long history in politics, having been first elected as an MLA in 1980 in undivided Bihar and serving as a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1989 representing Giridih.

Returning officer Syed Javed Haider handed them the certificates of election after declaring them winners.

Ranchi: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Sarfaraz Ahmad and BJP's Pradeep Verma were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand on Thursday.

Returning officer Syed Javed Haider handed them the certificates of election after declaring them winners.

"Since only two candidates were in the fray for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, they were declared winner unopposed," Haider said, according to PTI.

After receiving the certificate, Verma thanked the BJP leadership for entrusting him with the responsibility.

"The party has given big responsibility to a small-time worker like me. I thank our senior leaders for this. I would be trying to become the voice of Jharkhand in the Upper House of Parliament," said Verma, who is the BJP's general secretary in the state.

Ahmad, who resigned as an MLA in January, said he would be raising the issues concerning Jharkhand in Rajya Sabha.

Syed Javed Haider, who holds a PhD, has a long history in politics, having been first elected as an MLA in 1980 in undivided Bihar and serving as a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1989 representing Giridih.

The seats will fall vacant as the tenure of the two incumbent MPs, BJP's Samir Oraon and Congress's Diraj Prasad Sahu, will end on May 3.

Jharkhand has six seats in the Rajya Sabha. Of the other four, two each are held by the state's ruling JMM and opposition BJP. 

Lok Sabha Battle in Jharkhand

In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA is projected to attain a majority, winning 12 out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc is likely to win a mere 2 seats, as per a survey report.

ABP News, in association with CVoter, conducted an opinion poll in Jharkhand to project a rough picture of the public's mindset in the state. As per the survey, the NDA is predicted to receive 52% of the votes in the state, while the I.N.D.I.A. bloc is likely to get 35% of the votes.