Ranchi: Sitting MP Parimal Nathwani and RJD leader Prem Chand Gupta are virtually set to win uncontested for the two Rajya Sabha seats as only the two candidates filed nominations for the 7 February biennial polls on the last day today.
"Gupta filed papers as RJD candidate while Nathwani filed the nomination as an independent candidate," a senior official at the Jharkhand Assembly Secretariat told PTI.
Representational image. AFP
"They are the only two candidates for the two vacant seats, leaving the polls uncontested," he added.
Tomorrow is the scrutiny while the last date for withdrawal is January 30, he said.
The JMM, which yesterday announced Savita, the widow of former deputy chief minister Sudhir Mahto, backed out from the contest.
"We did not have the numbers after the RJD and the BJP-backed candidates filed the nominations. So we opted out of the contest," JMM General Secretary Suprio Bhattacharya told PTI.
Jharkhand PCC president Sukhdeo Bhagat, however, said the RJD leader was "a common UPA" candidate.
"This is the first time that Jharkhand will witness candidates being elected uncontested in the background of allegations," Bhagat said, indicating to the 2010 and 2012 horse trading allegations being probed by the CBI.
The Congress, which announced former assembly speaker Alamgir Alam as its candidate, also backed out in support of RJD candidate.
Water Resources Minister and RJD leader Annapurna Devi said her party requested the JMM to leave their claim this time on condition that the RJD would support its candidate when "K D Singh's seat falls vacant".
Singh's seat from Jharkhand would soon fall vacant as he is a candidate for the February 7 polls from West Bengal. He won the seat with the support of the JMM before switching over to Trinamool Congress.
BJP's state unit president Ravindra Kumar Rai and AJSU vice president Praveen Prabhakar said their respective parties had earlier decided to vote for Nathwani in the event of a contest.
PTI
No comments:
Post a Comment