RANCHI, June 9 -- The Rajya Sabha election scheduled for June 18 is set to for photo finish in Jharkhand as three candidates - one each from the JMM, Congress and a BJP-backed independent - filed nominations on Monday for the two seats in the Upper House of the Parliament. JMM's Baidyanath Ram and Congress' Pranav Jha filed nominations as joint candidates for the two available seats, representing the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD combine government headed by chief minister Hemant Soren, who was present when they filed the papers. Soon after, Parimal Nathwani, an outgoing Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh and a known associate of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, filed his nomination, backed by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which withdrew from fielding its own candidate after repeatedly claiming it was in contention. While the numbers in the Assembly favour the two INDIA bloc candidates, the entry of Nathwani, who served as an independent Rajya Sabha member twice from Jharkhand (from 2008 to 2020), has spiced up the contest, forcing voting for the two seats on June 18. With 34 members, the JMM is the lead party in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly. Its pre-poll allies Congress, RJD and the CPI (ML-L) have 16, 4 and 2 seats, respectively----taking the ruling INDIA bloc's total bench strength to 56 in the house. A candidate requires 28 first-preference votes to win. With 34 members, JMM candidate Baidyanath Ram is set to win based on his own party's strength. However, with the support of Congress' 16 members, Pranav Jha depends on support from allies JMM, RJD and the CPI (ML-L). On the other hand the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP has 24 members: 21 from the saffron party, besides one each from the AJSU, JDU and the LJP (R). A regional outfit, JLKM, has one member and is yet to make its stand clear. While the NDA has pledged support to Nathwani, the JLKM is yet to reveal its position. Speaking to reporters about support for Nathwani, leader of the opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi said the decision was based on the prevailing situation in the Assembly. "We deliberated and finally decided that we can't field a candidate because the NDA's combined strength was 24 (which is four short of the required votes to win). So we decided to support the independent candidate who previously served twice as a Rajya Sabha member from the state twice. "We have seen his good work," Marandi said. Regarding the allegations of promoting horse-trading to secure the required four votes, Marandi said that Nathwani should investigate. "He is contesting as an independent. It's his call to seek support from members other than NDA members," he added. Meanwhile, talking to reporters after filing his nomination, Nathwani said he was "100 percent confident" of his victory. "Jharkhand has been like home to me. I have served two terms as a Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand. People have seen my work and I am seeking support from all parties based on it. There is nothing like horse trading. I have had support of all parties including the BJP, AJSU and JMM even in the past. I met the chief minister and also sought his support. I am confident that I would get all-around support," he added. Nathwani called on INDIA bloc leader and Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday, hours after purchasing the nomination papers. The JMM, however, reacted strongly, accusing the BJP of 'promoting crony capitalism'. "Today, the BJP has once again demonstrated that it is a party of crony capitalists, turncoats, dynasts, and the corrupt. Today, a Gujarati arrived at the BJP office with a bag full of cash, and the BJP named him its Rajya Sabha candidate from Jharkhand. Shameful," the JMM said in a tweet. Congress candidate Pranav Jha said the BJP's move would backfire as people of Jharkhand have already rejected such politics in the state. "The BJP couldn't muster the courage to field its own candidate, instead, it chose a money bag as a proxy to push horse trading, which they have been resorting to across the country. However, this is Jharkhand, where people have already rejected their politics. This is the land of Birsa Munda which the BJP is maligning. The MLAs led by the alliance leader and Chief Minister Hemant Soren would give them a befitting reply," he added. Earlier, chief minister Hemant Soren, who was one of the 10 proposers for Baidyanath Ram, reached the assembly and was present during the nomination of the JMM and Congress candidates. Ten proposers nominated Pranav Jha, including legislator Kalpana Soren and members from the Congress, JMM, RJD, and CPI(ML). BJP legislators led by LoP Babulal Marandi and JDU legislator Saryu Roy were among the proposers for Parimal Nathwani....