Patna: Rajya Sabha deputy chair Harivansh Narayan Singh is unlikely to be sent to the Upper House for a third consecutive term, with sources in the Janata Dal (United) indicating that the party leadership is preparing a revised list of nominees ahead of the 9 April expiry of five Bihar seats.
Harivansh, who has served two back-to-back terms and currently holds the constitutional post of deputy chair of the Rajya Sabha, is not expected to be renominated under the JD(U)’s internal convention of limiting repeat entries to the Upper House. With the exception of industrialist Mahendra Prasad — known as King Mahendra — the party has rarely granted a third term to its leaders.
Party insiders say JD(U) president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is inclined to renominate Union minister Ramnath Thakur for a third term, breaking precedent in his case, while considering Nitish’s son Nishant Kumar for the second seat in the party’s quota. If that formula is finalised, Harivansh would effectively be edged out.
Of the five Rajya Sabha members from Bihar whose terms end in April, only two are widely expected to return — Ramnath Thakur of the JD(U) and Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), whose candidature has already been announced by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Political backdrop
Harivansh’s strained equation with sections of the JD(U) leadership dates back to 2022, when Nitish Kumar left the NDA to join the Grand Alliance. At the time, some party leaders reportedly expected him to resign from the deputy chair’s post. Harivansh chose to continue, citing the constitutional dignity of the office. The decision is believed to have caused unease within the party.
During the Grand Alliance phase, some JD(U) leaders viewed Harivansh as being closer to the BJP — allegations similar to those once made against former party leader RCP Singh. Although Nitish returned to the NDA in 2024, the political distance that developed during that period appears to have persisted.
Numbers and nominations
In the 243-member Bihar assembly, the JD(U) holds 85 MLAs, comfortably enough to secure two Rajya Sabha seats in a five-seat election, where a candidate requires 41 votes to win. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced it will field a candidate, ensuring a contest for at least one seat.
Within this framework, Harivansh’s exclusion would mark a significant shift. From a journalist to the prime minister’s media adviser and then to a senior parliamentary position, he has been one of the JD(U)’s most recognisable national faces.
However, if party sources are correct, the leadership is preparing to prioritise caste arithmetic and generational transition over continuity in the Upper House — leaving Harivansh facing an uncertain political future.
