Patna: Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar was underway on Monday amid heightened political tension after four legislators from the opposition alliance failed to appear at the polling venue.
Three legislators from the Indian National Congress — Surendra Prasad (Valmikinagar), Manoj Biswas (Forbesganj) and Manohar Singh (Manihari) — had not arrived to cast their votes by the time polling began. Faisal Rahman, an MLA from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was also absent from the voting process.
The absence of the four lawmakers has raised concerns within the opposition Mahagathbandhan (Bihar Grand Alliance), which is backing candidate A.D. Singh in the election. Leaders from the alliance were attempting to contact the missing MLAs as voting continued in the state assembly.
Sources said the three Congress legislators were believed to be in Patna but had yet to reach the Bihar Legislative Assembly to vote. Their absence has triggered speculation within political circles and added uncertainty for the Grand Alliance during the crucial polling process.
Meanwhile, members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had largely completed casting their votes earlier in the day as the election process continued inside the assembly premises.
