Cong, JMM and BJP in fray for Jharkhand Rajya Sabha poll

Ranchi, April 23 (IANS) Jharkhand's ruling alliance partners - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) - and the opposition Congress have fielded candidates for the May 3 polls to two Rajya Sabha seats.

Pradeep Balmuchu and Sanjiv Kumar, nominees of the Congress and JMM respectively, filed their papers Monday, the last day of nominations. BJP candidate S.S. Ahuwalia had filed his nomination papers last week.

JMM is still hopeful that BJP will support its candidate like in the countermanded poll.

"We are sticking to our previous stand and this is the reason we fielded our party candidate. We will talk to alliance partners to get their support for the party candidate," Deputy Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren told reporters here.

After filing his nomination papers, Balumuchu said that he would hold a dialogue with Independents to get their support in the poll.

The March 30 poll was countermanded after Rs 2.15 crore was seized from a vehicle of an independent candidate's relative on the polling.

In the March 30 poll, BJP had supported the JMM candidate.