Patna: Political activity is heating up for the Rajya Sabha elections to be held for five seats in Bihar. RJD National Executive President Tejashwi Yadav called a meeting of all opposition parties today to ensure AD Singh’s victory. MLAs from RJD, Congress, IIP, and the Left attended the meeting, but MLAs from Asaduddin Owaisi and Mayawati’s party abstained, sparking speculation.
RJD’s difficulties increase: Will AIMIM and BSP not support RJD in the Rajya Sabha elections? Speculation is now rife regarding this. However, the Rashtriya Janata Dal claims that the opposition is united. MLA from Maner, Bhai Virendra, said that we have 41 MLAs with us and we will win the election. “We have come to a meeting regarding the Rajya Sabha elections. Everyone is ready. The fifth seat is ours, and our candidate will definitely win. We have the support of 41 MLAs.” – Bhai Virendra, MLA, Rashtriya Janata Dal
Why did AIMIM MLAs not attend?: When asked about not attending the meeting, AIMIM state president and MLA Akhtarul Iman said that he was unaware of any such meeting. Regarding the question of supporting the RJD candidate, he said that the party leadership would make a decision regarding the Rajya Sabha elections. “We have no information about the RJD meeting. As far as supporting or not supporting is concerned, the party leadership will make a decision regarding the Rajya Sabha elections. Nothing has been decided yet.”
What did the BSP MLA say?: Meanwhile, Satish Kumar Yadav, the lone MLA of the Bahujan Samaj Party, said, “We are waiting for the instructions of BSP supremo Behenji. Whatever the instructions are, we will go with them.” Please wait a bit.
Why are AIMIM and BSP important?: RJD has nominated outgoing Rajya Sabha MP Amarendra Dhari Singh again, but it has sufficient numbers. The Grand Alliance has only 35 MLAs, while 41 votes are required to win. Therefore, if five AIMIM and one BSP MLA do not support him, ADI Singh’s defeat is certain. BSP MLA Satish Kumar Yadav was present at the nomination. What is the equation for the Rajya Sabha elections?: The support of 41 MLAs is required to win a seat. The NDA has 202 MLAs, so four of its candidates are certain to win, while a fifth candidate would need three additional votes to win. Meanwhile, the Grand Alliance has only 35 MLAs. Therefore, it needs six additional votes. This figure can only be achieved with the support of five AIMIM and one BSP MLA.
Who are the candidates?: On the NDA side, BJP’s Nitin Navin and Shivesh Ram, JDU’s Nitish Kumar and Ramnath Thakur, and RLM’s Upendra Kushwaha are in the fray. Of these, Shivesh Ram is the candidate for the fifth Rajya Sabha seat, facing RJD’s Amarendra Dhari Singh. The election will be held on March 16.
How many MLAs does each party have in the Assembly?: In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party has 89 MLAs, the Janata Dal (United) has 85, the Rashtriya Janata Dal has 25, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has 19, the Congress has 6, the Hindustani Awam Morcha and AIMIM have 5 each, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha has 4, and the CPI (ML) has 2. Additionally, the CPM, IIP, and BSP have 1 MLA each.
