Ranchi, June 9 -- BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo on Tuesday said that the party decided to support independent candidate Parimal Nathwani in Jharkhand for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections, as the BJP lacked numbers to secure a seat.

Pratul Shah Deo noted that the BJP has 21 seats and the tally only touches 24 along with its NDA allies, JD(U), LJP(RV) and AJSUP, which have one seat each in the Jharkhand Assembly.

The BJP leader told ANI, "BJP tried until the very last moment to field one of its own party workers in Jharkhand, but we lacked the numbers. We have 21 MLAs, while 28 are required, and even with our alliance partners, the tally reaches only 24. We made every effort, but when the circumstances did not prove favourable, we de...