RJD’s ‘fifth seat’ in danger due to AIMIM’s entry in Bihar Rajya Sabha elections, AIMIM fields its candidate

digital desk- Political turmoil has intensified in Bihar before the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on March 16. This time elections are to be held on 37 seats in 10 states, including five seats in Bihar. Elections are being held on these seats after the retirement of the current members. But the most talked about thing is that All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has announced to field its candidate, which can cause a big blow to the strategy of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Five Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant from Bihar. The retiring leaders include Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur (Janata Dal-United), Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh (RJD) and Upendra Kushwaha. According to the current assembly numbers, the ruling NDA has the figures of winning four out of five seats easily.

Opposition has total 35 MLAs

The opposition Grand Alliance includes RJD, Congress and three Left parties. Overall, they have 35 MLAs, including 25 from RJD, 6 from Congress, 2 from CPI(ML) Liberation and one MLA each from CPI and Indian Inclusive Party. To win a Rajya Sabha seat in Bihar, 41 first preference votes are required. In such a situation, if five MLAs of AIMIM and one MLA of BSP support the opposition candidate, then the figure of 41 can be completed and the opposition can win the fifth seat. But now the equations seem to be changing. AIMIM has decided to field its own candidate. The party’s Bihar president Akhtarul Iman has announced that AIMIM will contest the Rajya Sabha elections and has appealed for support from other opposition parties including RJD. Political analysts are watching this move in the backdrop of tension between AIMIM and RJD during the 2020 assembly elections.

Tried for alliance with RJD in 2020

In 2020, AIMIM had tried for alliance with RJD. Party representatives had gone to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s residence to seek support, but the alliance proposal was not accepted. After this, there was a heated exchange between the two parties during the election campaign. In that election, AIMIM had won five seats, while RJD had won 25 seats. According to sources, RJD was considering fielding its sitting Rajya Sabha member Amarendra Dhari Singh as its candidate again. But AIMIM’s claim has complicated the prospects for the fifth seat. If the opposition does not unite, NDA may get indirect benefit.