RS Polls 2022: Ignoring Congress' Request, Hemant Soren-Led JMM Selects Mahua Maji As Candidate

Chief Minister of Jharkhand and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren announced the Mahua Maji as RS nominee despite Congress requesting the seat.

Hemant Soren, Chief Minister of Jharkhand and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader. (Image Source: PTI)

New Delhi: Hemant Soren, Chief Minister of Jharkhand and leader of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced to reporters on Monday that after discussions with “Guruji (Shibu Soren)” they have selected Mahua Maji to be their Rajya Sabha nominee, according to ANI. This comes amid reports and statements by the Congress leaders of Jharkhand that the party with the support of JMM will choose a candidate from the grand-old party. However, JMM's decision doesn't seem to be in line with the wishes of its alliance partner.

The Congress on Sunday announced 10 candidates for the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls, fielding former Union ministers P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh and Ajay Maken, as well as the party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the ruling coalition in the state would field a joint candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat it is likely to win and dismissed suggestions that there was any discord with ally Congress.

On Saturday, Soren had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and said that the name would be announced after. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, however, did not specify whether the candidate would be from his party or the Congress and said the announcement of the name would be from Ranchi. Congress had requested JMM to allocate a seat to it. 

"The legislative party has unanimously decided that JMM will field its candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls at any cost. The party expects support from Congress. We want that there should be a single Grand Alliance candidate for the polls," JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said.

The second seat is from the BJP nominee, state general secretary Aditya Sahu.

According to an HT report, Maji will sail through the election as the JMM has 30 members in the Assembly, three more than 27 preference votes required to win the seat.