After naming Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi its candidate for Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand, the BJP on Monday came up with another surprise. The party, while releasing second list of its candidates for the Upper House on Monday evening named Mahesh Poddar for the second seat up for election in the State.

Name of Mahesh Poddar, who has been serving as State BJP treasurers for long, was doing rounds since morning, the penultimate day for filling nomination for the Upper House. The BJP legislative body also discussed his name in a meeting today.

Nevertheless, the speculation gained momentum when none other than Chief Minister Raghubar Das affirmed about it. “Our effort would be to win both the seats and the party is discussing the matter. The State BJP would work as per the instruction of the Central leadership,” said the CM in the afternoon while accompanying Naqvi. Moreover, BJP legislator from Gumla Shiv Shankar Oraon went further and confirmed that Poddar would be made the second candidate and file his nomination on Tuesday.

The step for sure has spiced up the election, otherwise looking crystal clear if there were just two candidates for equal number of vacancies. The saffron party is eyeing for any likely division in the Opposition camp and absentee of more than expected members on the poll day.

If the BJP managed to glide single members-Geeta Koda, Ainosh Ekka, Bhanu Pratap Sahi, Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta to name a few-and usually indifferent members such as Raj Kumar Yadav of CPI-Ml and Arup Chatterjee of Marxist liberation abstain once again, the result may go any way. BJP-AJSU combine has 47 votes altogether which is 19 more than the required. The additional votes besides second preference votes can come handy for the party in the case of JMM-Congress logjam.

On the other hand JMM today stamped on the name of Basant Soren. “The party president has decided to nominate Basant Soren as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha election. The party on the occasion appeals to all the Opposition members to vote for him,” said JMM acting president Hemant Soren. Basant Soren, youngest son of party’s patriarch Shibu Soren, has been JMM’s youth wing president.

Moreover, Soren with 19 members of its own needs crucial support of seven Congress MlAs and two more to sail through if all the 81 members turn up and vote on June 11. Congress is officially yet to take a call but in all probability it would back JMM’s nominee to stop the BJP from winning both the seats.

Holding two crucial votes, the JVM would take a call on June 2. “We have just two members but wanted that any minority represent Jharkhand Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

It seems that none is looking into that. Anyway our meeting on June 2 would decide whether our MlAs would vote or abstain,” said party legislative body leader Pradeep Yadav who denounced Basant Soren’s candidature and termed the JMM’s politics as “baap-bete ki rajniti”.

Speculation apart Naqvi, BJP’s official nominee and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs in the Modi Government, flanked by host of State BJP leaders filed his nomination before Assembly Secretary and Returning Officer made for the biennial poll Vinay Kumar Singh in afternoon.

Apart from the CM, State BJP chief Tala Marandi, Ministers louis Marandi, Neera Yadav, Neelkant Singh Munda and MlAs Navin Jaiswal, Vikas Munda, Hare Krishna Singh and Shiv Shankar Oraon signed as the proposers. None of the MlA from AJSU turned proposer however its Jugsalai legislator Ram Chandra Sais was present on the occasion along with several others from the BJP.

CM Raghubar Das, while terming Naqvi, a hardcore party worker expressed hope that he would work as a link between the Center and the State. “It has been the dream of the Prime Minister that State and Center work as a team and I believe that as a dedicated worker and Minister he would strengthen this relationship further,” said the CM. Whereas Naqvi justifying his candidature from Jharkhand referred to his “old association with the State when it was coming into existence” and promised to work for its betterment.

The CM also termed Basant’s nomination as brazen display of nepotism and clan-politics. “This is an internal matter of the JMM but there is no denying that one particular family has been dominant here since Jharkhand has been formed. The tendency has been opposed even from inside the party. I expect that legislators would vote based on their conscience and for nation building,” added Das.