Patna: Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar began on Monday morning with all 243 members of the state legislative assembly eligible to cast their ballots until 4pm. Counting is scheduled to start at 5pm, with the results expected later the same day.
Five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar are up for election, with six candidates in the fray, prompting a competitive contest for the final seat. According to the electoral formula, each candidate requires 41 votes to secure victory.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which holds 202 MLAs in the assembly, is widely expected to win four of the five seats. However, the alliance falls short by three votes for its fifth candidate, setting up a contest with the opposition Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Political tensions ahead of polling
Political activity intensified on Sunday as both alliances held strategy meetings. The NDA leadership convened discussions with its legislators, while the Mahagathbandhan held a meeting at Hotel Panash in Patna.
Several MLAs from the opposition alliance stayed overnight at the hotel before leaving together for the assembly to participate in the vote.
Returning officer transferred hours before voting
In a development hours before the polling began, the state government issued transfer orders for Khyati Singh, the secretary of the Bihar legislative assembly and the returning officer for the election. She was transferred to the post of officer on special duty at the Patna High Court.
Candidates in the contest
The NDA has fielded multiple candidates including chief minister Nitish Kumar, BJP leader Nitin Naveen, Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha and BJP state general secretary Shivesh Ram.
Among them, Nitish Kumar, Nitin Naveen, Ram Nath Thakur and Upendra Kushwaha are expected to win comfortably based on the NDA’s legislative strength.
The contest for the fifth seat is expected to take place between NDA candidate Shivesh Ram and RJD’s Amarendra Dhari Singh.
Vote arithmetic
Under the Election Commission’s quota formula, a candidate must secure 41 votes to win one Rajya Sabha seat in this election.
With 202 MLAs, the NDA can easily secure four seats, requiring 164 votes. After allocating those votes, the alliance would be left with 38 MLAs — three short of the 41 required for the fifth seat.
The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD, has a combined strength of around 35 votes from its allies, including Congress and Left parties. The opposition hopes to reach the winning mark if it secures support from five MLAs of AIMIM and one MLA from the BSP.
Election schedule
The last date for withdrawal of nominations was 9 March. Voting is being held on March 16 from 9am to 4pm, followed by counting from 5pm.
The entire election process is scheduled to conclude by March 20.
