RANCHI: The defeat of the Congress candidate in the Rajya Sabha election, despite the ruling alliance enjoying a numerical advantage in the Jharkhand Assembly, has triggered bitter bickering within the INDIA bloc. What should have been a routine victory instead exposed distrust, competing ambitions and unresolved tensions among coalition partners, with accusations of cross-voting and betrayal flying across party lines. The result has become more than a poll setback for the Congress; it has emerged as a test of the bloc’s internal unity.
The debacle triggered an immediate blame game among the Congress, RJD and CPI(M-L). Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju maintained that only JMM stood behind the party nominee. “We received all 16 votes of the Congress and four surplus votes from JMM, taking our tally to 20. However, this result is a consequence of the betrayal by RJD and CPI (M-L),” Raju said.
CPI(M-L) leaders denied the accusations. In a post on X, General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said both party MLAs voted for the Congress nominee in line with a pre-decided resolution. “As for speculations over Jharkhand Rajya Sabha voting, we can tell with full responsibility that our two MLAs voted for the Congress candidate as planned,” he stated. MLA Arup Chatterjee also argued that smaller parties were being unfairly targeted.
The allegations drew a response from the RJD, which condemned Raju’s remarks as a reflection of a “vile mentality”. RJD MLA and Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav rejected the charge, saying, “RJD is not treacherous like the Congress and maintains a distinct identity.” He asserted that all four RJD MLAs voted for the Congress candidate. RJD General Secretary Bhola Yadav echoed the criticism, saying that the Congress should introspect before blaming others.
The controversy followed the victory of BJP-backed Independent Parimal Nathwani and the comfortable win of JMM candidate Baidyanath Ram. Of the 81 votes cast, three were declared invalid. With Congress nominee Pranav Jha defeated, the outcome has deepened mistrust within the INDIA bloc.