Patna: The Election Commission has declared all 10 candidates contesting the Bihar Legislative Council biennial elections and a by-election elected unopposed.
The results were announced after the withdrawal period ended and no additional candidates remained in the fray. As the number of candidates matched the number of seats, voting was not required.
The elections covered nine seats falling vacant due to retirement and one seat under a by-election.
NDA wins nine seats
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured nine of the 10 seats.
The Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party won four seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) secured one seat. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won the remaining seat.
Nishant Kumar enters Legislative Council
Among the newly elected members is Nishant Kumar, son of Bihar former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and JD(U) national president.
This marks his first entry into the Bihar Legislative Council.
Other JD(U) candidates elected are Bharti Mehta, Shivani Devi Prajapati and Lalan Prasad.
BJP, LJP and RJD candidates elected
The BJP’s elected candidates include Bhojpuri actor and singer Pawan Singh, Sanjay Prakash Mayukh, Anil Thakur and Sheila Pandit.
Ashraf Ansari was elected from the LJP (Ram Vilas), while RJD candidate Sunil Singh also secured a seat unopposed.
The newly elected members have begun collecting their certificates from the election authorities. Pawan Singh was not present and was represented by his brother during the certificate collection process.
No polling required
Election officials said only 10 nominations were filed for the 10 available seats.
All nomination papers were found valid during scrutiny. Since the number of candidates equalled the number of vacancies, the candidates were declared elected without a vote.
Questions over minister Deepak Prakash’s future
The election outcome has also drawn attention to Panchayati Raj Minister Deepak Prakash, who was not nominated for a Legislative Council seat by the NDA.
Prakash, son of Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, has served as a minister without being a member of either House of the Bihar legislature.
Under constitutional provisions, a minister must become a member of the legislature within a specified period to continue in office. His exclusion from the current Legislative Council election has led to political speculation about his future in the state cabinet.
