Shibu Soren set for easy win, BJP’s Deepak Prakash has edge over Congress

RANCHI: JMM president Shibu Soren is predicted to sail through the election for the Rajya Sabha biennials scheduled for Friday while the numbers are stacked in favour of BJP’s state president Deepak Prakash against Congress candidate Shahzada Anwar in the second seat.
Political analysts said Shibu, the 76-year-old former chief minister of state who was also an eight-time MP in the Lok Sabha, is set to start his maiden stint in the Upper House, but it will be a tightrope walk for the ruling coalition’s second candidate and Congress candidate Shehzada Anwar, who is likely to fall short of the requisite votes to seal a berth.
The polling, originally scheduled to be held on March 26, was deferred by the Election Commission in view of the nationwide lockdown. Currently, the electoral college has 79 eligible voters. Of them, the ruling coalition of JMM, Congress and RJD has 45 MLAs while the BJP has 25.
The mahagathbandhan claimed to have the support of four more MLAs, including one each from NCP, CPI-ML (L) and two from JVM-P. On the other hand, BJP said it has the support of Ajsu Party (2), one from JVM-P and two independents.
With each candidate requiring 27 votes to make the cut, Shibu is poised for an easy victory, the mahagathbandhan camp said. Chief minister Hemant Soren and state Congress remained hopeful that Anwar, too, will emerge victorious. “This year’s election has become interesting, but we will win both the seats. The BJP’s money politics will fall flat this time,” Soren said on Thursday.
BJP, which has huddled its MLAs in a private school hostel since Wednesday afternoon, also claimed victory. “With the support of like-minded parties, the NDA candidate is going to win comfortably,” the party’s state spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said.
On the election eve, the ruling and the opposition camps exchanged verbal volleys claiming violation of social-distancing protocols and lockdown norms. While the mahagathbandhan demanded EC’s intervention into the BJP’s move to detain its legislators, the saffron camp knocked on the EC’s doors alleging violations.
BJP’s Bokaro MLA Biranchi Narayan filed a complaint with the EC’s Ranchi office and accused Soren of flouting the model code of conduct violations by hosting an election meeting of legislative parties at his official residence on Kanke Road on Wednesday evening. Narayan also alleged that the MLAs did not maintain social-distancing norms.
Retorting to BJP’s claims, Congress legislative party leader Alamgir Alam questioned the camping of the saffron party’s MLAs in a school. “This is completely in violation of the MHA guidelines and orders issued by the Jharkhand government on June 1,” he said.
On Wednesday, Soren said legal proceedings will be initiated against BJP for organising the political gathering. In a June 1 order, chief secretary Sukhdev Singh had directed that all religious, political and cultural gatherings in the state will not be allowed until further orders. However, BJP lawmakers spent the morning hours doing yoga and sharing its photographs on social media.
Ranchi district administration directed the principal of Mahilong’s Sarla Birla School to get BJP legislators to vacate the hostels. Deputy commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray did not respond to calls when contacted.