Bihar Rajya Sabha Elections: NDA Favourite to Win Four Seats as Opposition Seeks Support from AIMIM and BSP

While the ruling NDA looks set to clinch four seats out of five in Bihar in the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections, the opposition RJD-led alliance is hoping to wrest at least one. The contest for the fifth seat hinges on numbers. Each candidate requires 41 votes to win. Considering its strength of 202 MLAs in the 243-member Assembly, it will be smooth sailing for the NDA in four seats. To secure the fifth seat, it will need the support of just three additional MLAs. The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan has 35 MLAs and it will require the support of six MLAs to be in a position to send at least one representative to the Rajya Sabha . Here is where five MLAs of the Asaduddin Owaisi -led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s lone MLA could hold the key to the fifth seat for both the NDA and RJD-led alliance. Of the grand alliance’s total tally in the Bihar Assembly, RJD has 25 members, Congress has six, CPI (ML)(L) has two and CPM as well as Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) has one each. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said the NDA should ideally leave one seat for the Opposition. “But if the NDA fields a candidate for the fifth seat, all Opposition leaders will meet and field a candidate and will make every effort to ensure representation of the Opposition alliance in the Rajya Sabha elections.” Tiwari also claimed certain MLAs within NDA constituents were upset with the state government, and may cross-vote in favour of the Opposition candidate. He said no formal talks have happened with AIMIM and BSP, but the RJD was hopeful to get the BSP vote. The AIMIM, however, is driving a hard bargain with both the RJD and JD(U). AIMIM Bihar president and Amour MLA Akhtarul Iman said the party wishes to field its own candidate with support of other Opposition parties. “We have five MLAs and no representation in the Upper House. We want others to vote for our candidate. AIMIM should have its member in Rajya Sabha too. We will try to field one candidate. We will demand their support,” Iman told reporters on Thursday. Speaking to The Indian Express , AIMIM national spokesperson Adil Hasan said if the RJD wants the party’s support, then party chief Tejashwi Yadav will have to come to the AIMIM headquarters, Darus Salam, in Hyderabad to appeal for it. “He had not even offered a glass of water when the AIMIM had sought six seats in the grand alliance during the Assembly polls last year. But AIMIM will offer him biryani and then discuss strategy for the Rajya Sabha polls,” Hasan said. He added that AIMIM will certainly not support a BJP candidate but can consider supporting a JDU candidate if Nitish Kumar agrees to its demand of establishing a Seemanchal Development Board, economic package for the Seemanchal region, and development projects for the constituencies of AIMIM MLAs. In last year’s Assembly polls, the AIMIM had forged an electoral alliance with Chandrashekhar Aazad’s Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) and Swami Prasad Maurya’s Apni Janata Party (AJP) with an aim to emerge as a “third front” in the state. The AIMIM had then claimed it had been “repeatedly ignored” by the RJD over its proposal to join the Mahagathbandhan to “keep the BJP out of power”. BSP MLA Satish Yadav, meanwhile, said he is yet to receive a direction from the party top leadership regarding voting in Rajya Sabha polls.