The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) clinched a clean sweep of all five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar in the election held today, dealing a significant blow to the Mahagathbandhan. In the final tally, both Nitish Kumar and Nitin Nabin emerged as frontrunners, securing 44 first-preference votes each. They were followed by Ram Nath Thakur and Upendra Kushwaha, who garnered 42 votes apiece. Shivesh Ram, Bharatiya Janata Party’s fifth candidate, obtained 30 first-preference votes but successfully claimed the final seat with the aid of second-preference votes.
Strategic missteps and internal discord within the opposition coalition resulted in four of its legislators failing to reach the Assembly for voting, undermining its prospects of winning one of five seats.
The election was necessitated by the impending retirement of several senior leaders. Janata Dal (United) veterans Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur are due to retire on April 9, alongside Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Amarendra Dhari Singh and Prem Chand Gupta. Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha is also stepping down.
In terms of numbers, the BJP holds a clear advantage with 89 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Bihar’s 243-member Assembly, enough to secure at least two Rajya Sabha seats on its own. The Nitish Kumar-led JDU has 85 legislators, while other NDA partners — including Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) with 19 MLAs, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) with 5, and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha with 4 — added crucial support to round out the alliance’s strength.
Mahagathbandhan's lone candidate suffers defeat
For the Mahagathbandhan, the lone candidate Amarendra Singh Dhari faced a resounding defeat, a result many attribute to the coalition’s failure to present a unified strategy and ensure attendance of its MLAs.
Across the country, 37 Rajya Sabha vacancies were up for election this cycle. Out of these, 26 candidates were declared elected unopposed, while the remaining 11 — including Bihar’s five — were contested and concluded today. Alongside Bihar, four seats from Odisha and two from Haryana also witnessed polling. The results are, however, yet to be declared in these states.
