The election process for 10 seats of Bihar Legislative Council has started but on the first day of nomination no candidate from political parties came forward. This silence is not normal. Intensive brainstorming is going on in both the ruling party and opposition camps regarding the selection of candidates. Somewhere it is a question of sharing among allies and somewhere it is a challenge to strike a balance between family and organization. Before the elections to be held on June 18, the biggest discussion in Bihar politics is not about the candidates, but about the struggle to decide the candidate.
Out of the total 10 seats in the Legislative Council, nine seats are likely to go to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). One of these seats is for by-election, which became vacant after the Chief Minister went to Rajya Sabha. There is talk in the political circles that it is almost certain that Chief Minister’s son Nishant Kumar and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha’s son Deepak Prakash will reach the Legislative Council. After these two names, there is a long queue of contenders for the remaining seats.
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everyone has their own desires
Within the Janata Dal (United), the names of leaders like Rajiv Kumar Singh, Lalan Mandal and Ghulam Rasool Baliyavi are in discussion. At the same time, names like Sanjay Mayukh, Amrita Bhushan, Prem Ranjan Patel, Siddharth Shambhu and Amarnath Gami are being considered in the BJP camp, but the matter is not limited to JDU and BJP only. Allies also want a share in proportion to their political contribution.
There is talk that Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi are also pressurizing them to send representatives of their respective parties to the council. The name of Seemant Mrinal from Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has also emerged rapidly in political circles. This is the reason why NDA may be publicly claiming unity but all eyes are on the final distribution of seats.
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One seat in RJD, many contenders
On the other hand, the only seat that is part of the Grand Alliance has created a new challenge for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The most discussed is about the name of Tej Pratap Yadav. According to political sources, a section of the family is in favor of sending him to the Legislative Council, but the party leadership does not want to ignore organizational priorities. Sources reveal that there is also a view within the party that organization and social equations should be given priority in the election year. In such a situation, the name of former MLC Sunil Singh is also being taken seriously. Sunil Singh, who comes from the Rajput community, has been associated with the party for a long time and is considered trustworthy by the leadership.
That means the question before RJD is not just about choosing a candidate, but about deciding whether the party should give priority to family or political message.
Eight days time, increasing suspense
The last date for nomination is June 8. The elections will be held on June 18 and the results will also be declared on the same day but the delay in announcing the candidates has further intensified the political discussions. The opposition is alleging a tussle over seats in the NDA, while the ruling party claims that the Grand Alliance is not able to reach a consensus on even one of its seats.
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The real fight is not about elections, but about the message.
Victory or defeat in the Legislative Council elections is considered almost certain because the mathematics of numerical strength is clear. Therefore, this time the real fight is not of votes but of political message. The challenge for the NDA is to strike a balance while keeping the allies satisfied while the test for the RJD is what it gives priority to between family, organization and social equations. As soon as the list of candidates is revealed, it will become clear what social and political strategy both the major political axes of Bihar want to pursue before the upcoming assembly elections.
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