Bhupesh Baghel accuses alliance partners of Rajya Sabha cross-voting

Baghel, serving as the AICC observer for the contest, insisted that all Congress MLAs remained loyal to the party line. He specifically criticized the BJP for backing an independent candidate despite lacking the numbers, suggesting that the opposition party’s strategy relied on purchasing support. The fallout has sparked intense friction within the coalition, with Congress minister Irfan Ansari explicitly blaming the RJD and CPI(ML) for betraying the alliance at a critical juncture.

The accused parties have firmly rejected these claims. CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya stated that his party’s two MLAs voted exactly as instructed, a process he noted was verified by senior party officials. Similarly, RJD National General Secretary Bhola Yadav maintained that all four of his party’s legislators supported the INDIA bloc candidate, Pranav Jha, under the direct supervision of leadership. Yadav suggested that instead of pointing fingers, Congress should conduct an internal investigation to identify lapses within its own state ranks. Tensions remain high as senior JMM and Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren, convened in Ranchi to address the fallout and the underlying instability within the state coalition.