Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani, backed by the BJP-led NDA, won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand on Thursday, securing victory despite the alliance lacking sufficient numbers in the Assembly on its own.
The second seat was won by ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) nominee Baidyanath Ram. Nathwani polled 28 votes to defeat Congress candidate Pranav Jha, who secured 20 votes. Ram won comfortably with 30 votes.
The election witnessed cross-voting, with three ballots declared invalid. According to officials, two invalid votes were cast by BJP legislators and one by a Congress MLA.
The BJP-led NDA has 24 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, four short of the 28 first-preference votes required to secure a Rajya Sabha berth. The ruling INDIA bloc, comprising the JMM, Congress and their allies, commands 56 members in the House.
Nathwani’s victory therefore indicated cross-voting in his favour, as he secured four more votes than the NDA’s official strength in the Assembly.
Polling for the two Rajya Sabha seats concluded on Thursday with all 81 legislators casting their votes at the Assembly premises in Ranchi.
With the win, Nathwani has been elected to the Rajya Sabha for a record fourth term. He earlier represented Jharkhand as an Independent member in the Upper House from 2008 to 2020 before serving a term from Andhra Pradesh.
Following his victory, Nathwani described the result as an emotional moment and said it marked his third term from Jharkhand, the state where his parliamentary journey began.
Calling Jharkhand his “karmabhoomi”, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP leaders and NDA legislators for their support. He also expressed gratitude to all members of the Jharkhand Assembly who voted for him.
Nathwani said Jharkhand had become an integral part of his life after spending more than a decade in the state and pledged to continue working for its development during his new term in the Rajya Sabha.
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