BJP noncommittal on voting in Bihar Rajya Sabha poll

PATNA: Bihar BJP was today noncommittal on whether its 87 MLAs would vote in the coming by-poll to three Rajya Sabha seats in the state.

"We will formulate our strategy in due course of time," senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters.

Refusing to reveal his party's stand vis-a-vis the contest between JD(U)'s official and independent candidates on two RS seats from Bihar, he said that the 'entire picture will become clear after the date of withdrawal of nomination on June 12.

There are no contestants against Yadav. JD(U) nominees Pawan Verma and Gulam Rassol Balyawi, besides Yadav and independent candidates Anil Sharma, Sabir Ali and Dilip Jaiswal are in the fray for the three RS seats.

Modi also expressed ignorance about his party member Jaiswal filing nomination for the second RS seat with Anil Sharma and said BJP will find out under what circumstances he filed his papers.

Bihar BJP had earlier taken a stand that it will not put up candidates in the three RS seats which fell vacant after election of Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP), Ramkripal Yadav (RJD) and Ramvilas Paswan (LJP) to the Lok Sabha in the recent general elections.

Meanwhile, the three independent candidates reportedly met Modi at his official residence before filing their nominations to seek BJP's support, a development that neither Modi or any top Bihar BJP leader confirmed.

All three independent candidates were seen travelling in an SUV, entering Modi's residence and holding closed-door meeting with him for about 15 minutes before coming out in the same vehicle. They ducked the camera persons of various news channels and went to the state assembly where they later filed their nomination papers.