PATNA: Political parties are gearing up for the Rajya Sabha (RS) elections to be held in April to fill up five seats going to be vacant from Bihar. With 202 MLAs, the ruling NDA can comfortably secure four seats in the 243-member assembly, as a candidate will require the support of at least 41 MLAs to secure seat.
For the fifth one, the ruling alliance will need the support of three MLAs from the opposition camp. The INDIA bloc, which has won only 35 seats, is six votes short of the required quota to win even a seat. “Under such a situation five MLAs from Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and one BSP member, who do not belong to either ruling or the opposition camp, will be closely watched in the Rajya Sabha elections,” said a political analyst.
The tenure of five RS members -- Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh from the RJD, Harivansh and Ram Nath Thakur from JD(U), and Upendra Kushwaha from the RLM -- will expire in April.
Sources said that BJP’s national working president Nitin Nabin, presently an MLA, is most probably will be sent to Rajya Sabha. It will be interesting to see whether RLM chief Kushwaha is re-nominated to the Upper House. RLM has four MLAs.The sources said Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh’s name is also doing the rounds. He returned to BJP last year but did not contest the election.
From JD (U), both Harivansh and Ram Nath Thakur are likely to be re-nominated to RS. While Harivansh is deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, Thakur, son of former Bihar CM and socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, is presently a union minister of state. Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi has created a flutter in NDA by demanding a Rajya Sabha seat.
Sources said Lok Janshakti Party (RV) chief Chirag Paswan may exert pressure on BJP leadership to spare a Rajya Sabha seat for his party, which won 19 assembly seats in the polls. A party leader said Reena Paswan, mother of Chirag Paswan, is likely to be fielded for Rajya Sabha polls.
Chirag’s mother may be picked as candidate
Sources said Lok Janshakti Party (RV) chief Chirag Paswan may exert pressure on BJP leadership to spare a Rajya Sabha seat for his party, which won 19 assembly seats in the polls. A party leader said Reena Paswan, Chirag’s mother, is likely to be fielded for Rajya Sabha polls.