Setback for Mahagathbandhan in Bihar as 4 MLAs skip voting in Rajya Sabha polls

Three Congress MLAs in Bihar are absent without official leave as voting for five Rajya Sabha seats is underway, with the INDIA bloc and the BJP-led NDA locked in a tight contest for the fifth seat that could hinge on cross-voting.

In Short

• NDA requires three more MLAs to sweep all 5 Bihar seats
• Three Congress legislators out of contact with the party
• INDIA bloc needs support of 41 MLAs, currently has 37 votes

The Mahagathbandhan suffered a massive setback in Bihar on Monday after four of its MLAs skipped voting in the Rajya Sabha elections that concluded at 4 pm, casting a shadow over the Opposition alliance's prospects in the contest for the fifth seat.

Those who did not cast their votes included Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Faisal Rahman and three Congress legislators: Manohar Prasad, Surendra Kushwaha and Manoj Biswas.

Sources told India Today TV that said the three Congress MLAs remained out of contact with the party throughout the day as polling progressed. Their phones were either switched off or they did not respond to repeated calls, raising concerns within the opposition bloc.

The absence of the four legislators came at a crucial moment, with the INDIA bloc locked in a direct contest with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the fifth Rajya Sabha seat.

While the victory of JD(U) leaders Nitish Kumar and Ramnath Thakur, along with BJP's Nitin Nabin and Shivam Kumar, is considered certain, the battle for the final seat has turned into a tight race between NDA candidate Upendra Kushwaha and Mahagathbandhan nominee AD Singh.

All 202 MLAs belonging to the NDA have already cast their votes. In contrast, the Mahagathbandhan's vote count remained at 37 as the four MLAs failed to turn up for voting.

Their absence is expected to tilt the balance in favour of the NDA's fifth candidate, Shivesh Kumar.

The RJD-Congress-led Grand Alliance, which has 35 MLAs in the 243-member Assembly, needed the support of at least 41 legislators to ensure victory. The alliance had secured backing from five AIMIM MLAs and was also expecting support from a BSP legislator.

For Kushwaha to win, the NDA required votes from at least three MLAs belonging to the Grand Alliance. In this context, the unexplained absence of the three Congress MLAs -- Surendra Kushwaha from Valmikinagar, Manoj Biswas from Forbesganj and Manohar Prasad from Manihari -- assumed significance.

Ahead of the election, the Grand Alliance had kept its MLAs at a hotel in Patna to prevent alleged poaching attempts. The NDA, meanwhile, held meetings with its legislators at the residences of ministers and senior leaders in the state capital on Sunday.

In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the NDA commands a comfortable majority with 202 MLAs, though the number falls three short of the 205 required to secure all five Rajya Sabha seats. A candidate needs the support of at least 41 MLAs to win a Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar.

- Ends