Seventy-year-old Ahmad, a former JMM MLA, was accompanied by Chief Minister Champai Soren, state minister Alamgir Alam of the Congress and CPI (ML) L legislator Vinod Singh to the electoral office at Jharkhand Assembly.
Similarly, Verma (52) was accompanied by BJP state president Babulal Marandi, Leader of Opposition Amar Bauri, AJSU Party legislator Lambodar Mahto and NCP MLA Kamlesh Singh.
Ahmad's candidacy was confirmed at a meeting between the CM and senior Congress leaders on Sunday evening.
The biennial election for the two Rajya Sabha seats from the state is scheduled for March 21, an official said.
The tenure of the current Rajya Sabha MPs from the state, Samir Oraon of the BJP and Diraj Prasad Sahu of the Congress, is set to end on May 3, necessitating fresh elections to fill the vacancies.
Based on the numerical strength of the state assembly, comprising 81 members, both the ruling alliance and the opposition are expected to secure one seat each in the upcoming polls.
Ahmad, who holds a PhD, tendered his resignation from the Jharkhand Assembly on December 31, citing personal reasons.
He has a long history in politics, having been first elected as an MLA in 1980 in undivided Bihar and serving as a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1989 representing Giridih.
The nomination process, which commenced on March 4, is set to conclude on March 11, with the deadline for withdrawal of candidature set for March 14.
Polling is scheduled to take place between 9 am and 4 pm on March 21 on the Jharkhand Assembly premises, with counting slated for the same day at 5 pm.
Jharkhand currently has six Rajya Sabha seats.
The ruling alliance, led by JMM, has 47 MLAs in the 81-member state assembly, while the BJP has 26 legislators and the AJSU Party has three. Additionally, the NCP and CPI(ML) each have one lawmaker, alongside two Independents and a nominated member.
Within the ruling alliance, the JMM has 29 MLAs, the Congress has 17, and the RJD has one.
(Published 11 March 2024, 04:48 IST)
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