After the recent Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar, in which ruling NDA bagged all five seats, a rift has widened among Opposition Mahagathbadhan (grand alliance) coalition from which four–three from Congress and one RJD MLA—were declared absentees. The ruling NDA leaders now have dared Opposition RJD to expel its legislator from the party while, coalition Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (Liberation) has accused Congress of making their vote go to “waste”.
The Opposition alliance – having necessitated the contest by fielding RJD candidate Amarendra Dhari Singh, failed to win a single seat. The Rajya Sabha election results were out on March 16. The BJP won two seats for party president Nitin Nabin and leader Shivesh Kumar, their ally JD(U) bagged two seats for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and party leader Ram Nath Thakur while, alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha won another seat but, the Opposition candidate A.D. Singh lost the poll. The Opposition grand alliance, with total 35 seats in State Assembly, though, had managed to get support of all five All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and one Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA from Ramgarh, Satish Kumar Singh Yadav. However, three Congress MLAs and RJD MLA – were absent, making win of the fifth NDA candidate Shivesh Kumar easy and comfortable.
