JMM Names Baidyanath Ram for Rajya Sabha, Congress Seeks to Ease Alliance Tensions

RANCHI, June 6: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Saturday named former minister and Latehar MLA Baidyanath Ram as its candidate for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand, signalling a calibrated political choice that balances caste representation, organisational loyalty and alliance management.

The announcement came amid visible unease within the ruling Mahagathbandhan after the Congress earlier declared senior leader Pranav Jha as its nominee for the second seat. Sections of the JMM had argued that both seats should remain with the regional party, particularly as one of the vacancies arose following the demise of JMM founder Shibu Soren.

Seeking to project unity ahead of the June 8 nomination deadline, senior Congress observers Bhupesh Baghel and Ajay Sharma held an extended meeting with Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Ranchi on Saturday.

“There is no deadlock. The atmosphere of discussions was cordial and both seats will be won by the Mahagathbandhan,” Baghel told reporters after the meeting.

Sharma echoed the sentiment, saying that while party workers may express their views, alliance decisions are ultimately taken by the leadership and there was no confusion within the coalition.

The Congress leadership rushed its senior observers to Ranchi after several JMM leaders and legislators publicly voiced dissatisfaction over what they described as a unilateral announcement by the Congress. The episode briefly exposed underlying tensions within the alliance despite its comfortable numerical strength in the Assembly.

Announcing Ram’s candidature, JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya described him as a dedicated grassroots leader who has remained committed to the organisation for decades.

Ram’s nomination is politically significant beyond the immediate Rajya Sabha contest. A prominent Dalit face in the party and a former minister, his elevation allows the JMM to reinforce its social coalition while avoiding speculation over dynastic succession to the seat vacated by Shibu Soren.

The veteran legislator is expected to file his nomination on June 8.

While the JMM’s position on one seat is now settled, attention remains focused on the second contest. The Congress has already nominated Pranav Jha and intensified preparations for his filing, with senior state leaders accompanying him to the Assembly secretariat to collect nomination papers on Saturday.

A fresh twist emerged when nomination papers were purchased in the name of industrialist and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani. Nathwani represented Jharkhand in the Upper House for two consecutive terms between 2008 and 2020 before securing election from Andhra Pradesh in 2020. His move has fuelled speculation, although no formal announcement regarding his candidature has been made.

The BJP is yet to reveal its strategy. Party leader Gaurav Vallabh has also collected nomination papers, but the opposition has not formally announced a candidate.

On paper, the numbers strongly favour the ruling alliance. In the 81-member Assembly, the Mahagathbandhan commands 56 MLAs, including 34 from the JMM, 16 from the Congress, four from the RJD and two from CPI(ML). The NDA has 24 legislators, while the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) holds one seat.

With nominations closing on Monday, the immediate political question is no longer who has the numbers to win, but whether the alliance can translate its legislative majority into a display of political cohesion after a week of public signalling and internal bargaining.