RANCHI: Despite health complications, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha patriarch Shibu Soren is likely to be nominated as a party candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls on March 26.
After demands by the party workers from all over Jharkhand, a proposal was sent to the senior JMM leaders to discuss the issue so that a formal announcement may be made in a day or two.
The Rajya Sabha terms of RJD’s Premchand Gupta and Independent member Parimal Nathwani end on April 9.
The JMM, already having 29 MLAs in Assembly, is all set to win at least one Rajya Sabha seat as it requires only 27 MLAs to win a seat.
“Party workers want that Guruji (Soren) should go to the Rajya Sabha. We are also of the view that he must be made the candidate as we have adequate numbers for getting one Rajya Sabha seat easily,” said JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya.
JMM’s ally Congress is of the view that both the parties will first sit together and take a unanimous decision to decide the candidate.
“Any decision will be taken by top leadership of both the parties. But the promises made before Lok Sabha elections that a minority candidate from the Congress will be sent to Rajya Sabha through the very first elections held in Jharkhand, must not be forgotten,” said Congress spokesperson Alok Dubey.
The party workers feel that Congress state in-charge RPN Singh, who played a key role in the rooting out the BJP government in Jharkhand, should be the candidate, he added.
In the BJP, ex-chief minister Raghubar Das is said to be a forerunner, while the newly appointed State BJP President Deepak Prakash and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Pramimal Nathwani are also in the fray for an RS ticket.