New Delhi: In a major boost to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the alliance on Monday won all five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar in the biennial elections, while also bagging one seat each in Bihar and Odisha after cross-voting despite falling short of numbers. In Bihar, the NDA’s candidates included Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP national chief Nitin Nabin. Reportedly, Nitish Kumar received votes from 44 MLAs, while Nitin Nabin also secured the support of 44 lawmakers. Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha bagged 42 votes from MLAs, and Ramnath Thakur also secured the backing of 42 MLAs. Notably, three MLAs of the Congress and one of the RJD remained absent from the voting. Six candidates were in the fray for five seats: five from the NDA and one from the opposition alliance.Requirement To Win Raja Sabha Seat?
According to the formula for Rajya Sabha polls in Bihar, each candidate would have required at least 41 votes to win if all 243 MLAs had participated in the voting.
The AIMIM, which has five MLAs in the Bihar Assembly, and the lone BSP legislator said they voted for RJD candidate Amarendra Dhari Singh. Meanwhile, in Haryana, the counting of votes was put on hold after both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress lodged complaints alleging violation of vote secrecy.