# Jharkhand Rajya Sabha Polls: Congress Claims Cross-Voting, BJP Hits Back Calling It Fear of Defeat

> Voting and counting for two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand will both take place on June 18, with three heavyweight candidates in the fray. Congress's former state chief Rajesh Thakur claimed 10 to 12 BJP MLAs could switch sides, prompting a sharp rebuttal from the BJP.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Politics · **Published:** 2026-06-14 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/politics/jharkhand-rajyasabha-chunava-kangresa-ka-krosa-votinga-ka-dava-bhajapa-boli-yaha-790 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Jharkhand Rajya Sabha election, Cross voting, Rajesh Thakur, Naveen Jaiswal, Congress, BJP, Jharkhand politics

The contest for two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand has set the state's political temperature soaring. Both the voting and the counting are scheduled for the same day—June 18—and as the date draws near, the war of nerves between the rival camps is intensifying. The twist is that while only two seats are up for grabs, three formidable candidates are in the race. That math has pushed every party to pull out all the stops to lock in a win, leaving no political trick untried.

Amid this jostling, one remark has poured fuel on the fire. A sensational claim by Congress's former state president Rajesh Thakur has stirred up Jharkhand politics, and the BJP has answered it with an equally sharp counter-attack.

## Thakur's Claim: Discontent Inside the BJP
According to Thakur, the ruling alliance is fully confident of victory. He alleged that several BJP MLAs are unhappy with their own party, and that resentment has deepened because they were denied a candidacy. Thakur went a step further, asserting that 10 to 12 BJP MLAs could shift sides. The clear implication was that some BJP legislators might cross-vote in favour of the Congress candidate when the ballots are cast.

## BJP's Counter: Go Ahead and Take Our MLAs
The BJP did not let the claim pass. The party's chief whip, Naveen Jaiswal, shot back with a taunt: if Rajesh Thakur genuinely believes 10 to 12 BJP MLAs are in touch with him, he should simply take them away. Jaiswal stressed that BJP legislators function like party workers, and that whatever decision the party takes, all its leaders and workers stand behind it—that, he said, is the party's conduct.

Jaiswal added that Thakur is really making such statements to put on a show for his own MLAs—to signal that even if a Congress legislator is thinking of jumping ship, the Congress has its own reach on the other side. He bluntly said the truth is that the Congress is haunted by the fear of losing, and it is out of this desperation that it is issuing such statements.

## The Numbers Game and the Value of Every Vote
Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand have always been intensely interesting and unpredictable. Given the current strength of the parties in the House, every single vote could prove decisive. That is precisely why both the ruling side and the opposition are throwing their full weight behind keeping their MLAs united.

On one side, the Congress is looking to cash in on the alleged unrest within the BJP; on the other, the BJP is keeping a close watch on disgruntled MLAs in the ruling coalition. After this round of claims and rebuttals, both camps have tightened the ring around their own legislators to ensure there are no slip-ups on June 18.

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