Polling for five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar begins

The polling commenced at 9 am and will continue till 5 pm in the Bihar Assembly complex, where MLAs have started casting their ballots, he said.

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Counting will begin after 5 pm, and the results are expected to be declared the same day.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar and BJP national president Nitin Nabin are among the NDA candidates.

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The other three nominees from the ruling coalition are Union Minister Ram Nath Thakur, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha, both sitting members of the Rajya Sabha, and BJP’s Shivesh Kumar, who is seeking a berth in the Upper House of Parliament for the first time.
With numbers comfortably in favour of the NDA for four seats and marginally short for the fifth, the Opposition forced an election by fielding RJD’s Amarendra Dhari Singh.The state administration has made adequate security arrangements to ensure a smooth election, an official said.

The NDA aims to win all five seats but needs support from three legislators from the opposition bench to achieve that.

The RJD-led Grand Alliance, meanwhile, is trying to ensure the victory of its lone candidate, who is seeking re-election. The party is banking heavily on the support of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has five MLAs.

The AIMIM announced on Sunday that all five of its MLAs would support the RJD’s candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls.

The Grand Alliance kept its MLAs at a hotel in the state capital to prevent alleged poaching by rivals.

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However, the NDA organised meetings with its legislators at the residences of ministers and senior leaders in the state’s capital on Sunday.

The NDA enjoys a brute majority in the assembly, though its tally of 202 in the 243-member House falls three short of the number needed to secure all five Rajya Sabha seats.

To win a Rajya Sabha berth, one needs the support of at least 41 MLAs in the Bihar assembly.