Friday, June 3 2005 09:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Faced with a piquant situation, Congress leadership appears to have left to the party MLAs whether to support an Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) or Jharkhand Mukthi Morcha (JMM) candidate in today's (Jun 3, 2005) Rajya Sabha polls in Jharkhand.

As the two United Progressive Alliance (UPA) constituents-RJD and JMM-have fielded their own candidates for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, Congress, which has decided not to enter the fray, has no other option but to leave it to its MLAs to decide on the issue, party sources said.

While Congress had an alliance with JMM in the last Assembly polls in Jharkhand, RJD is the crucial partner of Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre with 24 MPs.

RJD has fielded Mukti Nath Upadhya, a former JMM leader who had unsuccessfully contested the last Rajya Sabha polls.

JMM has nominated Durga Soren, son of party chief Sibu Soren.

Former Union Minister of State for Railways and Janata Dal United (JDU) leader Digvijay Singh is the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee.