The state of Bihar is currently undergoing voting for the Rajya Sabha elections, with five vacancies of the state being filled. Four seats are almost always regarded as almost definite since the political alliances currently exist very strongly within the state assembly, but the battle, however, is set to go on in the fifth seat, where the ruling coalition and the opposition are in a tight competition.
This election is conducted to replace members of the Rajya Sabha who have retired, and therefore, their posts are vacant. The Bihar Legislative Assembly members are also voting to elect the representatives under a proportional representation system.
Political analysts believe that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a huge numerical strength in the assembly and thus has a smooth sail to win four out of five seats. The coalition has major parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United), which is headed by the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
A number of NDA-supported candidates will find it very easy to penetrate the Rajya Sabha. Nevertheless, the fifth seat has become the focal point of politics. The Grand Alliance (Opposition Mahagathbandhan) has also nominated its candidate, and it is hoping to get the support of smaller parties or gain the advantages of cross-voting during the election.
Its major opposition parties, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Indian National Congress, are also part of the Grand Alliance, trying to weaken the ruling coalition’s influence in the state.
Before the voting, the two alliances organized strategy meetings with their members of parliament to avoid cross-voting and to maintain cohesiveness. The political parties have also put down firm orders to their MLAs to vote along the party line because even a handful of votes would affect the fate of the fifth seat that was in severe contention.
The assembly complex has been tightened with regard to security, with the MLAs voting. This voting is likely to be done within a day, and then the votes will be counted, and the successful candidates who will occupy the five seats will be known.
The result of this election will have an effect on representing Bihar in the Rajya Sabha over the next six years. It also has a political connotation since it shows the present state of balance of power between the ruling alliance and the opposition in the state.
Whereas the NDA is sure of all of the five seats because it has numerical power, the opposition is hoping that it can get the last seat courtesy of strategic voting. The contest over the fifth seat, which is closely followed, is still ongoing as the voting continues, and it may define the political story in Bihar over the next few months.
