The nomination process for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha commenced in Bihar on Thursday, with the Election Commission issuing notifications for six seats. These seats, the terms of which end early next month, have garnered significant attention due to the political dynamics at play. The elections are scheduled for February 27th.
Out of the six seats up for grabs, three are currently held by the state's ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and three by the 'Mahagathbandhan', which has transitioned into the opposition camp following Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent shift. Kumar, also the JD(U) president, has realigned his party, leading to a reshuffling of political alliances.
The incumbent MPs whose terms are nearing expiry include Vashishth Narayan Singh and Aneel Hegde from JD(U), Sushil Kumar Modi from BJP, Manoj Kumar Jha and Ashfaq Karim from RJD, and state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh.
Voting for the Rajya Sabha seats is scheduled for February 27, with voting hours from 9 am to 4 pm. Counting will follow on the same day from 5 pm onwards, adhering to established procedures.
Given the current composition of the 243-member assembly, the NDA is poised to secure three of its nominees with relative ease, possibly with additional votes to spare. Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, also the state BJP president, has indicated that the BJP will field two candidates this time, leveraging its numerical strength to support ally JD(U) in securing one seat. In the previous biennial polls of 2018, JD(U) had secured two seats while BJP settled for one.
JD(U) sources have refrained from commenting on BJP's assertive stance, awaiting directives from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the party president. Kumar is reported to have discussed the Rajya Sabha polls with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders during his recent visit to Delhi.
Attention within the BJP camp is particularly focused on Sushil Kumar Modi, a prominent figure in Bihar politics for decades. Modi, allegedly relieved of the deputy CM's post in 2020 due to perceived closeness to JD(U) supremo, has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha from a seat vacated by the late Ram Vilas Paswan, founder of LJP (Lok Janshakti Party). Paswan's seat became available after BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad's transition to the Lok Sabha following a by-poll.