Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) patriarch Shibu Soren on Wednesday filed nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand in presence of his son, Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and other Ministers in the latter’s Cabinet. Seventy-six-year-old Soren, a three-time Chief Minister and an eight-time MP from Dumka Lok Sabha constituency, was a unanimous choice of JMM party workers for the RS candidature, party leaders said.
Popularly known as ‘Guruji’ in the political circuit here, Soren is looked up to by leaders across Jharkhand irrespective of ideologies and political affiliations. Soren was one of the pillars of the Jharkhand Movement, which led to the formation of a separate State. He is still seen as the most influential ‘people’s leader’ in the tribal-dominated Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand by many political experts.
Soon after Soren filed his nomination to Vidhan Sabha Secretary Mahendra Prasad, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that he was sure of the his father’s election in the upper house of the parliament. “Guruji will be elected to the upper house of the parliament. We are also eyeing the second Rajya Sabha seat in the State, and our candidate for it will be announced soon,” he said.
Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon, who also happens to be the President of Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC), said that both the Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand will go to the UPA fold this year. Later in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded its State President Deepak Prakash for the Rajya Sabha elections. JMM has 29 seats in the 81-member Assembly, while Congress party has 16 seats. The third partner, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has only one legislator in Jharkhand. BJP, the second largest party in the Assembly, has 26 legislators.
Elections will be held for two of six Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, currently occupied by BJP’s Parimal Nathwani and RJD’s Premchand Gupta, this year. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that the elections for the two seats in Jharkhand will be held on March 26. The notification for the elections was issued on March 6 and March 13 will be the last date for filing nominations.
The nominations will be scrutinized on March 16 and candidates can withdraw their nomination by March 18.
One of the veterans of Jharkhand Movement, senior Soren lost to Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sunil Soren in Dumka – a JMM stronghold – during the Lok Sabha elections held last year. It was his second consecutive defeat in Lok Sabha elections. The 76-year-old is battling health concerns due to ageing and has been frail lately, sources from the party said.