Cross-voting in Jharkhand RS polls: NDA's Nathwani wins, Congress suffers setback
Synopsis
The INDIA bloc had 56 MLAs and needed only 28 votes to win — yet Congress lost its Rajya Sabha seat in Jharkhand to an NDA-backed Independent. Cross-voting by RJD and CPI-ML legislators handed Parimal Nathwani his fourth RS term and handed the ruling alliance one of its most embarrassing coordination failures in recent memory.
Key Takeaways
Parimal Nathwani (NDA-backed Independent) won the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha seat on 18 June with 28 votes , exactly the winning threshold.
Congress nominee Pranav Jha secured only 20 votes despite the INDIA bloc commanding 56 of 81 Assembly seats.
JMM candidate Baidyanath Ram won the other seat comfortably with 30 votes .
Congress in-charge K.
Raju alleged that RJD (4 MLAs) and CPI-ML (2 MLAs) did not support the Congress nominee.
The NDA had only 24 legislators — four short of the required 28 — making the win possible only through cross-voting from outside the alliance.
Nathwani is now set to serve his fourth Rajya Sabha term , his third from Jharkhand since 2008 .
Parimal Nathwani, an Independent candidate backed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), pulled off a stunning upset in the Rajya Sabha elections from Jharkhand on 18 June, defeating Congress nominee Pranav Jha through cross-voting within the ruling INDIA bloc. The result exposed a significant rift in the ruling alliance despite its commanding majority in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly.
How the Votes Fell
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Baidyanath Ram won comfortably with 30 valid votes, as expected. Nathwani secured 28 votes — exactly the winning threshold — while Congress's Jha managed only 20 votes. Three ballots were declared invalid: two cast in favour of Nathwani and one for the Congress candidate. Even after the cancellations, Nathwani's lead held decisive.
The NDA holds just 24 seats in the Assembly — four short of the 28 first-preference votes required to win a seat. Nathwani's victory was therefore possible only through cross-voting from legislators outside the BJP-led bloc.
Congress Points Finger at Alliance Partners
Jharkhand Congress in-charge K. Raju alleged that MLAs of alliance partners Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI-ML did not vote for the Congress nominee. The RJD holds four seats in the Assembly and the CPI-ML holds two. Taken together, defections from these two parties alone could account for the gap between the INDIA bloc's theoretical strength of 56 members and Jha's actual tally of 20.
This is not the first time cross-voting has undermined an alliance with a clear numerical edge in a Rajya Sabha contest — it is a recurring pattern in Indian legislative politics where the secret ballot creates room for quiet defection.
Nathwani's Fourth Rajya Sabha Term
Expressing gratitude after his win, Nathwani said the mandate carried special significance. 'Deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve a fourth term in the Rajya Sabha. This is my third term from Jharkhand, the land from where my parliamentary journey commenced in 2008. It is a matter of immense pride and humility to return once again to my karmabhoomi,' he wrote in a post on X. He added: 'With renewed commitment and sincerity, every effort will continue to advance the interests and aspirations of Jharkhand and its people. Johar Jharkhand.'
Political Fallout
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey congratulated Nathwani and described the result as a significant setback for the Mahagathbandhan, noting that the NDA-backed candidate secured 28 votes against the Congress nominee's 20. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, cabinet ministers, and legislators from both the treasury and opposition benches participated in the polling, which took place peacefully in the Assembly complex. JMM leader and minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu cast the final vote of the day.
What Comes Next
The outcome raises immediate questions about internal cohesion within the INDIA bloc ahead of future electoral contests in Jharkhand. With assembly elections due in the state, the Congress will need to address the coordination failure that allowed a numerically weaker NDA to claim one of two available Rajya Sabha seats. Analysts are likely to scrutinise whether the RJD and CPI-ML formally address the cross-voting allegations — or let the silence speak for itself.
Point of View
It is a governance failure. Congress's inability to secure votes from its own coalition partners, the RJD and CPI-ML, signals that the alliance is transactional rather than cohesive, held together by electoral arithmetic rather than political trust. Nathwani's win is less a testament to NDA strength than an indictment of INDIA bloc discipline. With Jharkhand assembly elections on the horizon, this result will embolden the BJP's narrative that the ruling coalition is fractured — and the Congress will struggle to counter it without a credible internal reckoning.
NationPress
11 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How did NDA's Parimal Nathwani win the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha seat despite having fewer MLAs?
Nathwani won because legislators from INDIA bloc partners — reportedly the RJD and CPI-ML — did not vote for Congress nominee Pranav Jha, enabling cross-votes to push Nathwani past the 28-vote winning mark. The NDA itself had only 24 MLAs, four short of the required threshold.
What was the final vote count in the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha election?
JMM's Baidyanath Ram topped with 30 valid votes, Nathwani secured 28, and Congress's Pranav Jha received only 20. Three ballots were declared invalid — two for Nathwani and one for Jha.
Who did the Congress blame for the cross-voting in Jharkhand?
Jharkhand Congress in-charge K. Raju alleged that MLAs of alliance partners Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI-ML did not support the Congress nominee. The RJD has four Assembly members and the CPI-ML has two.
How many Rajya Sabha seats were up for election in Jharkhand?
Two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand were contested. JMM's Baidyanath Ram won one seat, and NDA-backed Independent Parimal Nathwani won the other, denying Congress both seats from the state.
What is the significance of Parimal Nathwani's Rajya Sabha win?
This is Nathwani's fourth Rajya Sabha term overall and his third from Jharkhand, where his parliamentary career began in 2008. His victory is considered one of the biggest political upsets in the state in recent years, exposing coordination failures within the ruling INDIA bloc.
