PATNA: Even as the fate of the opposition candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls hinges on whether there will be a churn in the RJD-AIMIM relationship in the coming days, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Tuesday convened a meeting of the INDIA bloc’s MLAs to discuss the alliance’s strategy for the polls.
Amid uncertainty over whether AIMIM would extend the support of its five MLAs to the opposition candidate, state AIMIM leader Akhtarul Iman is likely to meet Tejashwi in connection with the Rajya Sabha polls on Wednesday. AIMIM is reportedly demanding an MLC seat in exchange for its support to the opposition candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls.
Talking to the media after the meeting, Tejashwi said, "It was a very positive meeting. The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections are approaching, and we are fully confident. Our goal is to win this election. We have enough numbers, that's why we are contesting the elections."
Three Congress MLAs could not attend the meeting due to various reasons. While party legislator Abidur Rahman is abroad, another party MLA, Manohar Prasad Singh, was reportedly ill. Congress MLA Qamarul Hoda could not attend the meeting due to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s visit to his constituency, Kishanganj, on Wednesday.
All three MLAs had already informed the party leadership about their absence.
The INDIA bloc, with only 35 MLAs including RJD’s 25 and Congress’s six, needs the support of AIMIM’s six MLAs and also the BSP’s lone MLA if it has to win the Rajya Sabha election in the state. A Rajya Sabha candidate must secure at least 41 first preference votes to win the election. RJD has fielded a prominent businessman, Amarendra Dhari Singh, as its candidate in the polls.
Meanwhile, sources said RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has also spoken to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in connection with the Rajya Sabha election.
The contest for five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar has taken an interesting turn with six candidates — five from the NDA and one from the RJD filing nomination papers for the polls. Among the prominent contenders are Nitish Kumar and BJP national president Nitin Nabin.
Both leaders submitted their nomination papers on March 5 in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.