NDA Secures Clean Sweep in Bihar Rajya Sabha Elections
In a decisive political development, all five candidates from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) emerged victorious in the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar on Monday. The winners include Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, RLM president Upendra Kushwaha, and state BJP general secretary Shivesh Kumar. This sweep comes against five vacancies set to arise in the Upper House from Bihar next month.
Vote Counting and Declarations
The assembly secretary-cum-returning officer, Khyati Singh, officially declared the results late Monday evening after the completion of vote counting. The elections saw a significant turnout from the NDA camp, with all 202 MLAs casting their votes in favor of their respective candidates. In contrast, the opposition Grand Alliance faced a setback as only 37 of its MLAs participated in the voting process.
Opposition Defeat Due to Absenteeism
The Grand Alliance's lone candidate, Amarendra Dhari Singh of the RJD, suffered an unexpected defeat. This loss was primarily attributed to the absence of four legislators from the opposition camp during the voting. The absentees included three Congress MLAs and one RJD MLA. According to assembly officials, had these four MLAs been present and voted for Singh, he would have secured 41 votes instead of 37, potentially altering the outcome.
Vote Distribution and Threshold
Under the formula for the current Rajya Sabha polls in Bihar, a candidate required a minimum of 41 votes from MLAs to win. However, due to the four absent MLAs, the effective threshold was reduced to 40 votes. The vote breakdown among NDA candidates was as follows:
- Nitish Kumar and Nitin Nabin each received 44 votes.
- Ram Nath Thakur and Upendra Kushwaha each secured 42 votes.
- Shivesh Kumar initially got 30 first preferential votes but achieved victory after surpassing 40 votes during the counting of second preferential votes.
Officials confirmed that no instances of cross-voting were reported, with all NDA MLAs voting strictly along party lines.
Historical Context and Significance
This election marks a notable event as it is the first time in a decade that Bihar has witnessed voting in Rajya Sabha elections, with the last occurrence being during the 2014 byelections. Additionally, the results are significant as they elect the national presidents of three political parties to the Rajya Sabha: Nitish Kumar of JD-U, Nitin Nabin of BJP, and Upendra Kushwaha of RLM.
Upcoming Vacancies
The five vacancies from Bihar in the Rajya Sabha will be created on April 9 this year, following the scheduled retirement of several members. These include:
- Prem Chand Gupta (former Union minister, RJD)
- Amarendra Dhari Singh (RJD)
- Ram Nath Thakur (Union minister, JD-U)
- Harivansh Narayan Singh (Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson, JD-U)
- Upendra Kushwaha (former Union minister, RLM)
The election outcome underscores the NDA's strong organizational discipline and highlights the challenges faced by the opposition due to internal coordination issues.
