Patna: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a clean sweep in the Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar, winning all five seats from the state in voting held on Monday, 16 March. The result is being viewed as a significant political victory for the ruling alliance ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election.
The winners include Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Nitin Navin of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Upendra Kushwaha, national president of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, Union minister Ramnath Thakur, and BJP leader Shivesh Ram. Ramnath Thakur is the son of noted socialist leader Karpoori Thakur.
Across India, elections were conducted for 37 vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha, including five from Bihar. The terms of outgoing members Ramnath Thakur, Upendra Kushwaha, Harivansh Narayan Singh, Amarendra Dhari Singh and Prem Chandra Gupta are set to end on 9 April, prompting the fresh election.
Voting was required in Bihar for the first time in around 12 years after the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) fielded Amarendra Dhari Singh for a second term, creating a contest for the fifth seat. While four NDA candidates were widely expected to win, the final seat saw a direct contest between BJP’s Shivesh Ram and RJD’s Amarendra Dhari Singh. Shivesh Ram ultimately secured the seat.
The opposition alliance, led by Tejashwi Yadav, suffered a setback as four MLAs from the Indian National Congress and the RJD stayed away from voting. Congress legislators Manoj Yadav, Manohar Prasad and Surendra Prasad, along with RJD MLA Faisal Rahman, did not participate in the voting despite attempts to contact them. Their absence proved decisive, with Shivesh Ram receiving 38 votes compared with Amarendra Dhari Singh’s 37.
Political dynamics also shifted a day earlier when the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) held an iftar gathering. The party, led nationally by Asaduddin Owaisi, had earlier indicated it might field its own candidate. However, after inviting Tejashwi Yadav to the event, Bihar AIMIM president Akhtarul Iman announced support for the opposition alliance. Despite this backing, the Mahagathbandhan failed to gather enough votes to secure the fifth seat.
