Jharkhand RS polls 2025: Congress, JMM hold talks with CM Soren over seat-sharing
Synopsis
With Jharkhand's two Rajya Sabha seats on the line for 18 June, the Congress-JMM alliance is already showing cracks — JMM insiders want both seats while Congress is pushing for one, and neither side has blinked. The name of Kalpana Soren, wife of CM Hemant Soren, adds a dynastic dimension that could complicate an already tense negotiation.
Key Takeaways
Congress and JMM leaders met CM Hemant Soren for nearly three hours in Ranchi on 29 May over Rajya Sabha seat-sharing.
No consensus was reached on seat allocation or candidate selection.
Jharkhand has two Rajya Sabha seats going to polls on 18 June , as announced by the ECI on 22 May .
JMM insiders are reportedly pushing to contest both seats; Congress is demanding at least one.
Potential JMM names include Kalpana Soren , Anjani Soren , Kunal Sarangi , and Mithilesh Thakur .
Congress in-charge K.
Raju confirmed the party will field only a local Jharkhand leader.
Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leaders convened a nearly three-hour meeting with Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his Ranchi residence on Friday, 29 May, to deliberate on seat-sharing and candidate selection ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for 18 June. The two alliance partners are yet to reach a consensus, even as political activity in Jharkhand intensifies around the two upper-house seats up for grabs.
What the Meeting Covered
Discussions centred on strategies to secure the victory of alliance nominees in both seats. Despite the length of the deliberations, no final agreement was reached on either seat allocation or candidate names. The Congress delegation included Jharkhand in-charge K. Raju, co-in-charge Dr Sirivella Prasad, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and Jharkhand Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh.
The Seat-Sharing Dispute
Congress leaders reportedly conveyed to the Chief Minister that, in keeping with alliance norms, one of the two Rajya Sabha seats should be allocated to the party. However, the JMM has not publicly clarified its position. Several senior JMM leaders are said to favour fielding candidates for both seats, setting up a potential friction point within the ruling alliance.
Candidates Being Considered
On the JMM side, names under discussion include Kalpana Soren (wife of Chief Minister Hemant Soren), his sister Anjani Soren, former MLA Kunal Sarangi, and former minister Mithilesh Thakur. Within Congress, lobbying has picked up pace, with sources indicating the party may choose from former Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay, former state president Rajesh Thakur, current state president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, former minister Banna Gupta, Furkan Ansari, Pradeep Balmuchu, and Dhiraj Sahu.
Notably, former Congress working president Shehzada Anwar — who contested and lost the 2020 Rajya Sabha election as the party's candidate — has revived his claim by writing directly to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Congress Rules Out Outsiders
Congress in-charge K. Raju stated categorically that the party will not field any outsider in this election. 'The candidate will be a local leader from Jharkhand with a strong grassroots presence and organisational backing,' he said.
Election Commission's Schedule
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on 22 May that Rajya Sabha elections for 24 seats across 10 states will be held on 18 June. Jharkhand accounts for two of those seats. Other states in the cycle include Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka (four seats each); Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (three seats each); and Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram (one seat each). With the filing deadline approaching, both JMM and Congress are expected to finalise their positions in the coming days.
Point of View
Not ideological alignment, and Rajya Sabha seats — which carry national legislative weight — are where transactional politics becomes most visible. JMM's reported preference to contest both seats would effectively shut Congress out of the upper house from Jharkhand, a move that could strain the alliance ahead of future state contests. The emergence of Kalpana Soren's name also raises a question mainstream coverage is tiptoeing around: does fielding the Chief Minister's wife for a Rajya Sabha berth reflect genuine political capital, or is it a consolidation of family influence within JMM? The answer will shape how the alliance holds together — or doesn't.
NationPress
4 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha elections 2025 about?
The Election Commission of India has scheduled Rajya Sabha elections for two Jharkhand seats on 18 June 2025. The ruling alliance of JMM and Congress is negotiating how to divide the seats between them before finalising candidates.
Why have Congress and JMM not reached a seat-sharing deal yet?
JMM leaders are reportedly pushing to field candidates for both seats, while Congress is demanding at least one seat as per alliance norms. No consensus was reached even after a nearly three-hour meeting on 29 May between Congress leaders and CM Hemant Soren.
Who are the likely candidates from JMM for the Rajya Sabha election?
Names under consideration within JMM include Kalpana Soren (wife of CM Hemant Soren), his sister Anjani Soren, former MLA Kunal Sarangi, and former minister Mithilesh Thakur. No official announcement has been made.
Who are the Congress candidates being considered for the Jharkhand RS seat?
Congress is reportedly weighing names including former Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay, former state president Rajesh Thakur, current president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, former minister Banna Gupta, Furkan Ansari, Pradeep Balmuchu, and Dhiraj Sahu. Former working president Shehzada Anwar has also written to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge staking his claim.
How many Rajya Sabha seats are going to polls on 18 June 2025 nationally?
The Election Commission of India announced elections for 24 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states on 18 June 2025. States include Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka (four seats each), Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (three each), Jharkhand (two), and Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram (one each).
