Patna: Deepak Prakash's Ministerial Post Under Threat
The ministerial position of panchayati raj minister Deepak Prakash, son of Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha, is facing uncertainty after the RLM was sidelined in ticket distribution for the upcoming biennial elections to the Bihar legislative council. The situation became clear on Saturday as major allies of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) finalized candidates for eight of the nine seats due for polls on June 18, leaving no room for Prakash in the ruling coalition’s quota.
The crisis deepened when Union minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJP(RV)) announced party spokesperson Ashraf Ansari as its candidate, effectively filling the eighth likely NDA-backed seat. With this declaration, the NDA’s slate for the council polls is essentially complete, and Prakash’s chances of securing a seat in this election—seen as the most straightforward route to retain his ministerial berth—have sharply diminished.
Details of the MLC Election
A total of nine legislative council seats are going to polls on June 18. These are MLA-quota seats, meaning only members of the legislative assembly will vote. Given the assembly’s current numbers, a candidate needs a minimum of 25 MLAs’ votes to win. With its strong majority, the NDA is projected to win at least eight of the nine seats comfortably. The ninth seat is expected to go to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led opposition bloc, which has 35 MLAs.
On Friday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) announced seven candidates: the BJP named Bhojpuri actor Pawan Singh, Sanjay Mayukh, Anil Kumar Thakur, and Sheela Pandit, while the JD(U) fielded health minister Nishant Kumar, Bharti Mehta, and Shivrani Devi Prajapati. On Saturday, the LJP(RV) added Ashraf Ansari as its nominee. With these eight names declared from within the NDA umbrella, it became clear that the RLM would not be accommodated and Prakash would not be contesting from the NDA quota.
Constitutional Deadline for Prakash
Prakash took oath as a cabinet minister for the second time on May 7, but he is currently not a member of either the assembly or the council. Under Article 164(4) of the Constitution, a minister who is not a member of the state legislature must secure a seat within six consecutive months of appointment. Analysts said that if no alternative legislative route is found, Prakash would have to resign by November 6.
The LJP(RV) announcement reportedly caught the RLM off guard, as Kushwaha’s party was counting on that slot to secure a council berth for his son. When asked about Prakash not being named, Upendra Kushwaha said, “This is a normal process, the MLC election is being held. Wait for a little more time.” June 8 is the last date for filing nominations for the council election and the byelection. All attention is now on the RLM leadership and the central BJP leadership to see whether a solution can be worked out to avert a resignation.
Byelection for Vacant Seat
Along with these nine council seats, a byelection for one seat, vacated by former chief minister Nitish Kumar, will also be held on the same day (June 18). The JD(U) has announced Lalan Prasad as its candidate for that seat.
