The Election Commission of India on Tuesday announced by-election to the vacant Rajya Sabha seat in Jharkhand. The election for the seat, fallen vacant after resignation of Kanwar Deep Singh on February 19, 2014, will be conducted on July 2. As per a Press communiqué issued by the EC, the notification for the poll will be issued on June 15, while the last date for nomination filing will be June 22. last date of withdrawal of candidature will be June 25 and the polling will be conducted on July 2. Counting and declaration of result will also be held on July 2.
Notably, with the BJP enjoying full majority for the first time in the Jharkhand Assembly, the seat is set to go in the party's kitty. State BJP president Ravindra Rai said that the party will certainly field its candidate in the bypoll. "We are sure that this time a BJP candidate will win the poll and strengthen our position in the Rajya Sabha. The selection of the candidate will be done by BJP parliamentary board. The MlAs will honour the decision of the central leadership," said Rai.
Principal Opposition party JMM is also mulling to field its candidate. "We will certainly fight the poll. The information has just come so we need to take some time to decide on the candidate's name. The strategy will also be discussed in a meeting," said JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey. The BJP has 42 MlAs and is supported by five MlAs of AJSU party in the 82-member House, while the JMM has 18 legislators. The Congress has strength of five MlAs while the JVM is left with just two members in the House.