Nine candidates elected unopposed to Bihar Legislative Council

Patna, Mar 19 (UNI) All nine candidates for the Bihar Legislative Council were declared elected unopposed following the withdrawal of an independent candidate on the last day of withdrawal of papers today.

However, biennial election to the five Rajya Sabha seats from the state would be held as per schedule on March 26 as none of the six candidates withdrew papers till 1500 hours this afternoon when the time expired.

Bihar Assembly Secretary-cum-Returning Officer Surendra Prasad Sharma later told reporters that only Syed Mehmood Ashraf, an Independent candidate for the state upper house, withdrew his nomination papers leaving nine other nominees of different political parties to be elected unopposed for nine vacant seats.

Those who elected unopposed were Ramdhani Singh, Satish Prasad, Hira Prasad Bind and Mohammad Haroon Rashid, all JD(U), Kameswar Chowpal and Griraj Singh, both BJP, besides Badshah Azad and Tanvir Hassan of the RJD and Ms Jyoti of the Congress.

Among the Rajya Sabha candidates from the state were former state Excise Minister Shivanand Tiwari, former Planning Commission member N K Singh of the ruling JD(U), former Union Health Minister C P Thakur (BJP) and Union Company Affairs Minister Prem Chandra Gupta as the RJD candidate.

Mr Sharma said Dr Ezaz Ali of the ruling JD(U), the lone candidate for the by-election to the Rajya Sabha seat which fell vacant following the death of Motiur Rehman of the RJD, was also declared elected unopposed on the last day of withdrawal of nominatation.

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