NEW DELHI: Deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh is likely to bag renomination for the biennial elections to the Upper House from JD(U), thereby enabling him to complete his term.
Both the BJP and the central government are keen to avoid election for the post of the deputy chairman in the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP is also set to stake claim to one Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar, while the JD (U) may bag two other berths.
Out of five Rajya Sabha seats going to polls, the NDA is likely to win three comfortably, while four members of the alliance are set to retire.
Besides Harivansh, Amarnath Thakur and Kehkasha Parveen will retire from the Upper House in April. BJP member CP Thakur would also finish his term.
The BJP had bagged the Rajya Sabha vacancy on account of the demise of legal luminary Ram Jethmalani.
The party nominated Satish Dubey to the Upper House.
“The BJP may field a fresh face in the Rajya Sabha elections for one seat, which is assured for the party on the basis of its strength in the Legislative Assembly. The BJP will still have additional votes to help elect another member or support the JD(U) nominee.
Some of the BJP candidates, who had lost the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, have made known their intent to bag Rajya Sabha nominations,” a source said. Harivansh is currently into the second year of his 5-year tenure.
“Harivansh has very effectively run the Upper House despite the Opposition making an all-out effort to disrupt proceedings,” a senior JD(U) functionary said.
The JD(U) may experiment with new faces for another berth from the party’s quota, with sources saying that Parveen may be asked to contest the Assembly elections from one of the seats under the Bhagalpur LS constituency.
Thakur likely to miss out
The BJP’s CP Thakur, who has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2008, is likely to miss out on re-nomination on account of his advancing age.