Kumar Bahukhandi
NDA-backed candidate Parimal Nathwani wins the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha election. (Photo: PTI)
The victory of NDA-backed candidate Parimal Nathwani is being viewed as a setback for the Congress party. Reports of cross-voting by MLAs belonging to the INDIA bloc have emerged during this election.
Ranchi (Jharkhand ) : NDA-backed candidate Parimal Nathwani has won the Rajya Sabha election held in Jharkhand on Thursday june 18, 2026 . Reports indicate that cross-voting took place among MLAs aligned with Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the INDIA bloc.
Parimal Nathwani secured 30 votes, while Congress’s Pranav Jha received 20 votes. The primary contest in Jharkhand was between Parimal Nathwani and Congress’s Pranav Jha.
Meanwhile, JMM’s Baidyanath Ram also won in this election; however, his victory had been considered a certainty.
An official stated that amidst cross-voting, NDA-backed independent candidate Parimal Nathwani won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand on Thursday June 18, 2026 , defeating Congress’s Pranav Jha. Baidyanath Ram, the candidate from the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was elected to the second seat.
The election official reported that Nathwani received 28 votes and was subsequently declared the winner. Pranav Jha received 20 votes.
Baidyanath Ram secured 30 votes, while three votes were found to be invalid. Of these three invalid votes, one belonged to the Congress party and two to the BJP.
The BJP-led NDA holds 24 seats in the state assembly, which is four short of the number required for a ‘first-preference’ vote victory for the Upper House seat.
