Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], June 8 : Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Manoj Pandey on Monday said that Chief Minister Hemant Soren upheld the spirit of coalition as the party reached a seat-sharing agreement with Congress, deciding to field a candidate each for the Rajya Sabha elections.
JMM has announced MLA Baidyanath Ram, while Congress is set to field party secretary Pranav Jha for the Upper House polls on two seats in Jharkhand. Initially, the JMM wanted to field its candidates in both seats; however, the party leadership decided to leave one for its ally, Congress.
Manoj Pandey told ANI, "The party leadership certainly faced a dilemma. The sentiments of the party workers had to be respected. However, Hemant Soren upheld the coalition spirit and emphasised unity. Now, both our candidates will win the election. There is a strong Hemant Soren government here, and we will thwart any attempts by those who arrogantly believe that everything can be bought with money. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the INDIA alliance government will shatter that arrogance."
On Sunday, Hemant Soren presided over a meeting of ministers and MLAs from the ruling party in view of the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections.
During the meeting, CM Soren called upon all public representatives to remain united and actively participate in the election process. Guidelines were issued to strengthen organisational coordination and ensure the victory of the ruling party's candidates.
After the meeting, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Sarfaraz Ahmed said there was unanimity within the party regarding the candidates.
He said, "There is consensus; there is no issue. There are two alliance candidates, and a consensus has been reached to ensure their victory. There are no ifs and buts."
Ahmed also confirmed that both candidates will file their nominations together.
The biennial Rajya Sabha elections will be held on June 18 for four seats each in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three seats each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two seats in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya. The last date for filing of nominations is June 8.
Notification was also issued for the Rajya Sabha bypoll for a seat each in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.