Jharkhand Congress unhappy that JMM named Mahua Maji as RS poll candidate

New Delhi: Jharkhand Congress in-charge Avinash Pande on Monday expressed unhappiness at the fact that Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) named senior leader Mahua Maji as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in Jharkhand.

Notably, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is in alliance with the Congress party in Jharkhand along with other parties.

Speaking in this regard on Monday, Avinash Pande told reporters, "Recently, I met Congress party president Sonia Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi ji said that if Congress had got the Rajya Sabha seat from Jharkhand, it would have been better for the alliance as well as there could have been better harmony in the alliance. But, it seems that the decision (on Mahua Maji) was unilaterally taken by JMM."

"I am saddened to know this fact. However, this will not affect the coalition and the government in the state," he said.
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Monday named senior leader Mahua Maji as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in Jharkhand. Maji's name was announced by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is also JMM's executive president.

Pande informed ANI that he will visit the capital city Ranchi on Tuesday to know about the situation in Jharkhand in this regard. "We will try to know what forced Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM chief Hemant Soren to opt for this unilateral decision," he said.

Knowing that tomorrow is the last day to file nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, Pande said that he will try to understand the situation in the state and what avenues are left for the party.

Elections to 57 Rajya Sabha seats spread across 15 states will take place on June 10. The maximum number of seats is in Uttar Pradesh, with polls to be held for 11 vacancies.

The states where these biennial elections will be held are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana.

The Election Commission of India said that the notification for the biennial elections has been issued on May 24, 2022, while the last date for filing nominations is May 31, 2022. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 3, 2022. The counting of votes will be held on June 10, after the polling process gets over, the ECI statement read. (ANI)