Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Executive President cum Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday held the legislative party meeting of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and decided that the party would field a candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election.
The party is learnt to have decided the name of the candidate but it refused to disclose it. But, it is widely believed that Kalpana Soren, wife of Hemant Soren could be the candidate of the party. Sources said that the name of Rupi Soren too has been discussed.
Meanwhile, Hemant Soren left for Delhi to meet the Congress president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the candidate. JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said that the party has decided to field a candidate.
"Chief Minister Hemant Soren will discuss about the candidate with Sonia Gandhi and other serial leader of the Congress After which the announcement will be made," he said.
Bhattacharya said that during the meeting the issue of Sarna religion code was also discussed. A delegation of party leaders will meet the President of India in the month of June to submit a memorandum regarding inclusion of the Sarna religion code in the census.
The decision of the JMM may not go to please its alliance partner, which has demanded the JMM to leave the seat for the Congress.
The Congress is the alliance partner of the JMM in the government. Two seats of the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand are going to be vacant for which the election will be held in June.
Minimum a candidate needs 27 votes to win one seat. As far as the number game is concerned the BJP and the UPA can win one seat each.
In the Congress State president Rajesh Thakur, former cabinet minister Subodhkant Sahay and former Godda MP Furkan Ansari are lobbying for the ticket and they have requested the JMM to leave this seat for the Congress.
"We have always supported the JMM and we expect our alliance partner to reciprocate with the same gesture. But unfortunately the JMM is not so generous," said a Congress leader.