Patna: Elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states are scheduled for March 16, with five seats from Bihar falling vacant due to the retirement of sitting members.
Bihar, which sends 16 representatives to the Upper House of Parliament, will see the retirement of Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur of the JD(U), Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh of the RJD, and Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
Based on the current strength in the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is comfortably placed to secure four of the five seats. The NDA enjoys a clear numerical advantage that ensures victory for four candidates without requiring cross-party support.
The contest for the fifth seat, however, has sparked political manoeuvring. A candidate requires 41 first-preference votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar.
The opposition Grand Alliance — comprising the RJD, Congress and Left parties — currently has 35 MLAs. The RJD accounts for 25 legislators, Congress has six, CPI(ML) Liberation has two, while CPI and the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) have one MLA each.
If the five MLAs of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the lone BSP MLA extend support to the Grand Alliance nominee, the opposition’s tally would reach exactly 41 — just enough to clinch the fifth seat.
However, uncertainty over AIMIM’s stand has introduced a layer of suspense into the contest, potentially complicating the opposition’s calculations and opening the door for an NDA sweep if the numbers do not align as expected.
