Rajya Sabha election due on March 23 has been spiced up in Jharkhand with three candidates filing their nominations on Monday for only two seats on offer. Both NDA nominees namely Sameer Oraon and Pradeep Kumar Sonthalia along with Congress candidate Dheeraj Prasad Sahu submitted their papers in two sets each before Assembly Secretary Binay Kumar Singh who has been made Returning Officer by the Election Commission.
Both Sameer Oraon and Sonthalia have quoted their party as BJP and at the same time managed to garner support across the board. Besides the BJP legislators, who assembled in good numbers and volunteering as their proposers, Independents in the form of Bhanu Pratap Shahi and Geeta Koda also chipped in. AJSU was represented by Chandra Prakash Chaudhary and Vikas Munda.
Congress old-timer in the Upper House Dheeraj Prasad Sahu was first to file papers when he, flanked by Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajoy Kumar and MlAs Sukhdeo Bhagat, Alamgir Alam, Manoj Kumar Yadav, Irfan Ansari arrived at the Returning Officer’s chamber at 12.41 pm.
Several members of the newly formed ally JMM, including leader of Opposition Hemant Soren were present and became his proposers. However, absence of the two JVM legislators raised the eyebrows.
Two other Independents- Arup Chatterjee of Marxists-Coordination and CPI(Ml) Rajkumar Yadav also did not turn up.
Interesting name in the Opposition list of proposers was BSP’s Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta who, on earlier occasions, had switched over to the BJP camp at the time of voting. Also, the man who was in eye of the storm on the last occasion, Devendra Singh of the Congress, made out to be one of the proposers this time. It was the Panki MlA who kept the Opposition on tenterhook till last moment and lastly bunked the polling to give the BJP the required push to grab both the seats despite being short in numbers.
There was no surprise as far as the list of MlAs proposing candidatures of the BJP except when the party strategists decided to came back again moments before the scheduled time of 3 pm for filing second sets, hours after the formality completed in the presence of Chief Minister Raghubar Das and host of others.
“We have decided to go for the second set of papers to keep a safe side. There is nothing else in it,” said BJP chief whip Radha Krishna Kishore. The Chief Minister chose to be become one of the proposers of Sameer Oraon who has been named as first choice candidate by the BJP and sure to secure a seat in the Upper House.
“I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, popular Chief Minister Raghubar Das and party State president laxman Gilua for presenting the opportunity to a party worker like me. This is possible only in the BJP where a simple worker gets chances like this,” said Oraon. The Chief Minister also hailed the contributions of Oraon in the party and justified his selection.
However, Sonthalia did not sound much optimistic when asked about the magic figure, 27, desired to clinch the seat. “I have been made an official candidate of the BJP which has the highest number in the House. We have tilted situation in our favour,” said the known businessman of Dhanbad coal belt. laxman Gilua also staked claim to both the seats citing most numbers with the BJP than any other party.
On the other side, the Congress remained critical to the BJP and alleged it for fueling ‘horse-trading’ once again in the State. “I am sure of my victory. The BJP may be keeping something into mind and planning their game but this time it is going to be against their thinking,” said Sahu. Hemant Soren also stressed that the Opposition has the required number.