Bihar's longest-serving chief minister, Nitish Kumar, and new BJP president Nitin Nabin were among the key winners in the Rajya Sabha elections on Monday, as the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured all five seats in the state.
The victory comes at a significant moment, as Nitish Kumar had earlier indicated that he plans to step down as Bihar chief minister following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha elections were held for 11 seats across Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana.
Of Bihar's five Rajya Sabha seats up for grabs, the NDA emerged victorious on all counts. Alongside Nitish Kumar and Nitin Nabin, union minister Ram Nath Thakur and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha retained their seats, while BJP's Shivesh Kumar will made his debut in the Upper House.
Strategic advantage helped NDA
The NDA's success was bolstered by a strong strategy for the fifth seat, as reported by HT earlier. All 202 NDA MLAs voted well before the scheduled end of polling, whereas four Opposition legislators, including three from the Congress and one from the RJD, abstained, reducing the Opposition's effective count to 37.
This made the second preference vote crucial and gave the NDA a decisive edge.
After the victories, JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha the lauded alliance's strategic approach, saying, “We knew that below the required threshold, second preference votes would come into play and we had overwhelming number in that, and exactly that happened. Rajya Sabha election needs numbers as well as understanding of the situation also, which the opposition lacks.”
Jha said that the NDA executed a smart strategy while the Opposition leaders struggled even to keep their members together.
Deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, meanwhile, thanked all NDA MLAs for their participation, as reported by news agency PTI. He noted that the coalition's strength in the 243-member assembly played a key role in the clean sweep.
LJP chief Chirag Paswan also pointed to divisions within the Opposition, saying they could not blame anyone else for their setbacks. “They should find out why their MLAs did not turn up,” he added.
