Problem of plenty for NDA as 5 Bihar Rajya Sabha seats go to polls

New Delhi: With five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar going to polls on March 16, the NDA faces a problem of plenty. With 202 MLAs in the 243-member Assembly, the alliance is comfortably placed to win four seats and is working internal equations to maximise its share of the fifth.

Of the five retiring members, the RJD has two - AD Singh and Premchand Gupta. The JDU's Ramnath Thakur and Harivansh are also completing their terms, along with Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha.

Sources said the JD(U) is likely to retain its two seats. Union minister Ramnath Thakur is expected to be renominated, while a decision is pending on Harivansh, currently the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman. Replacing him could weaken the JD(U)'s claim to the Deputy Chairman's post, especially with the TDP - a key NDA ally at the Centre - in a position to stake a claim. A final call is expected next week.


With JD(U) retaining two seats, the BJP is eyeing the other two in its quota. Party sources indicated Bhojpuri actor Pavan Singh is under consideration for one berth, while the second may go to a non-Yadav OBC face. Senior leaders are scheduled to meet on February 27 or 28 to finalise names.

The contest over the fifth seat hinges on numbers. Each candidate requires 41 votes. While four seats are within the NDA's assured tally, it would need support from at least three additional MLAs for the fifth. A united Opposition - including AIMIM's five MLAs and one BSP legislator - could force a contest. However, AIMIM has indicated it may field its own candidate, making Opposition unity uncertain. The NDA remains the frontrunner for the fifth seat if it secures cross-voting.

The seat-sharing understanding during the Assembly elections had reportedly promised a Rajya Sabha berth to Upendra Kushwaha, along with an MLC nomination. Kushwaha has since pitched for an MLC seat for his son Deepak Prakash, now a minister in the Bihar government. BJP sources indicated the MLC vacancy created by Mangal Pandey's election as MLA could be considered for Deepak Prakash, though this may trigger further negotiations over Kushwaha's Rajya Sabha claim.

Meanwhile, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan has denied seeking a Rajya Sabha seat for his mother Reena Paswan, though party leader and state minister Sanjay Kumar Singh has voiced the demand. As the third-largest NDA constituent in Bihar, the LJP (RV) believes it has a legitimate stake in the allocation.