Patna, February 18 – Bihar is likely to witness intense political activity as elections were announced for five Rajya Sabha seats, three of which are held by the ruling NDA, and it appears that the coalition is poised to win the remaining ones from a weakened opposition.
According to an announcement by the Election Commission, nomination papers will be filed from February 26, and polling will take place on March 16.
Two of the seats are currently held by the JD(U), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Both sitting MPs, Ram Nath Thakur, a Union minister and son of Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur, and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh, are enjoying their second consecutive terms.
Notably, Kumar, the JD(U) supremo, had a few years ago denied a third consecutive term to RCP Singh, a former national president, who had to resign from the Union cabinet as a consequence.
The party had then justified the move, claiming that it was the party's policy to not award Rajya Sabha seats to the same person for more than two consecutive terms.
Party sources here were reluctant to comment on whether an exception would be made this time, as adhering to the stated policy would deprive the two sitting MPs of their constitutional positions.
The third seat currently held by the NDA is with Upendra Kushwaha, a former Union minister who entered the Upper House in 2025 with the support of the BJP, which backed him in a by-election necessitated by Vivek Thakur getting elected to the Lok Sabha.
Although Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha is a small but important ally, promising a significant number of votes from the powerful OBC caste, Koeri, NDA sources feel that he has secured his share, with his son Deepak Prakash being appointed to the state cabinet despite not being a member of the legislature.
According to regulations, Prakash must be elected to either House of the state legislature by May in order to retain his seat. With his party having only four MLAs, including his mother Snehlata, in the 243-member assembly, Prakash's son will have to heavily rely on the support of larger allies, the JD(U) and the BJP, to secure a seat in the legislative council.
The remaining two seats are held by the RJD, the principal opposition party in the state, which now has only 25 MLAs, far fewer than the number it needs to retain a Rajya Sabha seat.
One of its sitting MPs is Prem Chand Gupta, a former Union minister and key aide of party supremo Lalu Prasad. Gupta is enjoying his fifth consecutive term in the Rajya Sabha.
The other Rajya Sabha MP in question is Amarendra Dhari Singh, a Patna-based businessman, who was reportedly handpicked by Prasad's heir apparent, Tejashwi Yadav, with the hope that it would make the party popular with the upper-caste Bhumihars.
According to the formula for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar, a candidate must secure at least 40 votes to win. The assembly elections held in November last year saw the NDA securing 202 seats. The RJD and its allies, the Congress and the Left, were bundled out for a combined total of 35.
Although none of the seats going to polls are currently held by the BJP, which, with 89 MLAs, is the single largest party in the assembly, it is expected to make a strong bid.
Speculation is rife that one of the BJP candidates could be Nitin Nabin, who was last month appointed as national president of the party, in a surprise development that underscored the rise of the "fourth generation" of leaders in the four and a half decades old organization.
Nabin, who had resigned from the Nitish Kumar cabinet in December, shortly after being appointed national working president, continues to hold the Bankipur assembly seat. It is believed that, given his new and greater responsibilities, he may relinquish a constituency that has been nurtured over multiple terms.
Another potential candidate from the NDA is Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Union minister Chirag Paswan. The party had a 100% success rate in the Lok Sabha elections of 2025, when it contested five seats.
In the assembly elections held last year, it contested 28 seats, winning 19, and two of its MLAs have been appointed to the state cabinet.
However, Paswan, who is in his early 40s, wants to expand his party and hopes that his larger allies will accommodate his ambitions, since his presence in the NDA guarantees the votes of "Dusadhs," the most populous and influential Dalit caste in Bihar.
NDA sources admit that in the run-up to the Rajya Sabha elections, a fresh effort may come from Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, the sole MP of Hindustani Awam Morcha, who feels that his party has not received a fair deal, even though his son Santosh, who has become an MLC with BJP's support, is a minister.
The party, which claims to have the support of Musahars, the most marginalized among Dalits, has five MLAs, including Santosh's wife and mother-in-law.