Upendra Kushwaha Declared Rajya Sabha Candidate by RLM; Nomination on March 5
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Patna, March 3 (NationPress) The National President of Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), Upendra Kushwaha, has been officially nominated as the party's representative for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar. Supported by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Kushwaha is set to submit his nomination on March 5.
This announcement was communicated via a press release from state spokesperson Nitin Bharti, who noted that extensive discussions among the NDA's senior leadership culminated in the decision for Kushwaha to vie for the Rajya Sabha position.
Leaders from all allied NDA parties are anticipated to attend Kushwaha's nomination filing.
Kushwaha returned from New Delhi after a significant meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier this week.
Sources indicate that the focus of their discussions was on strategizing for the Rajya Sabha elections.
Previously, Kushwaha contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Karakat parliamentary constituency but was defeated by Rajaram Singh Kushwaha of CPI(ML).
After the Lok Sabha elections, Kushwaha was appointed to the Rajya Sabha under the BJP quota, with his current term expiring in April.
Other outgoing Rajya Sabha members from Bihar include Ramnath Thakur, Harivansh Narayan Singh, Prem Chand Gupta, and Amarendra Dhari Singh.
According to the current strength of the Bihar Assembly, the NDA holds 202 MLAs, with 41 votes needed to secure a Rajya Sabha seat.
To claim all five available seats, a total of 205 MLAs would be necessary, making the fifth seat both numerically demanding and politically crucial.
Conversely, the Grand Alliance currently has 35 MLAs. If it garners support from five AIMIM MLAs and one Bahujan Samaj Party MLA, the opposition could potentially secure one seat.
In parallel, the Bharatiya Janata Party has declared its candidates for its allotted seats in Bihar, naming Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar.
As the nomination deadline approaches, the struggle for the fifth Rajya Sabha seat in Bihar is expected to escalate in the coming days.