Patna: Political activity in Bihar has intensified ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, with opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav convening a meeting of Grand Alliance leaders in Patna on Tuesday. However, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) appeared to distance itself from Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), signalling a possible rift between the two parties.
AIMIM MLA Akhtarul Iman said his party had not been invited to the Grand Alliance meeting and claimed he had no information about it. Speaking to reporters, Iman said the meeting was an internal matter of the alliance and that Yadav was “sitting with his people, which is a good thing”.
When asked whether AIMIM remained aligned with the RJD, Iman said the decision would depend on whether Yadav sought the party’s support. “You should ask Tejashwi if he needs us. If he does, then we will decide whether to come or not,” he said, indicating that the party was still considering its position.
Iman also suggested that AIMIM had not yet decided whom it would support in the Rajya Sabha elections. He noted that six candidates are contesting five seats from Bihar, meaning voting will be necessary. “If there had been five candidates, there would have been no election. Now there are six, so voting will take place and we are assessing the situation,” he said.
Referring to a meeting with Yadav a few days earlier, Iman said the RJD leader had approached AIMIM for support. According to him, AIMIM had emphasised that it did not have representation in the upper house and expected cooperation. Iman added that Yadav had promised further discussions after returning from Delhi, but no follow-up meeting had taken place.
The contest has become closely watched as six candidates are competing for five Rajya Sabha seats from the state. Five candidates are backed by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while the opposition Mahagathbandhan has fielded one candidate. The RJD has renominated businessman-turned-politician Amarendra Dhari Singh for the election.
To win a Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar, a candidate needs the support of at least 41 MLAs in the state assembly. The NDA currently has 202 MLAs, leaving it three short of the number required to comfortably secure all five seats.
The RJD, meanwhile, has the backing of around 10 MLAs from other Grand Alliance parties and is seeking additional support from smaller parties, including AIMIM and the Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati. With the opposition still short of a few votes, the final outcome may depend on how smaller parties decide to cast their ballots in the upcoming election.
