Drama In Bihar Rajya Sabha Polls As 4 Opposition MLAs Go Missing With Phones Switched Off During Voting

Voting for five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar began amid political drama after several opposition legislators were reportedly missing or unreachable on the day of polling.

The development has created tension within the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and could potentially benefit the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Polling started at the Bihar Assembly complex at 9 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m., after which the counting of votes will begin.

Four Opposition MLAs Reportedly Missing

Concerns arose within the opposition camp when four MLAs were reported to be missing or out of contact during the crucial voting process.

Three legislators from the Indian National Congress were reportedly unreachable. These include:

• Surendra Prasad Kushwaha, MLA from Valmikinagar
• Manoj Biswas, MLA from Forbesganj
• CManohar Prasad Singh, MLA from Manihari

According to party sources, their mobile phones were switched off and attempts to contact them were unsuccessful.

In addition, Faisal Ali, an MLA from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) representing Dhaka, had not reached the Assembly at the time voting began.

BJP Claims Advantage

The absence of opposition MLAs quickly triggered political reactions from the ruling alliance.

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed that the situation showed disarray within the opposition ranks.

He said the NDA was likely to benefit from the development and even congratulated his party's candidates in advance.

"I extend my advance congratulations to all my candidates. This is turning out to be a victory for the NDA alliance. There are no Congress MLAs present here. What can one say about a party in this condition?" he said.

Tejashwi Yadav Urges Patience

Reacting to the reports of missing MLAs, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav asked for patience before drawing conclusions.

He told reporters:
"I feel we should wait. Don't you agree?"
His statement suggested that the opposition alliance was still hoping the missing legislators might appear before the voting deadline.

Candidates in the Rajya Sabha Race

The Rajya Sabha election in Bihar features candidates from both the ruling NDA and the opposition alliance.

Among the prominent NDA candidates are:

• Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister and leader of the Janata Dal (United)
• Nitin Nabin, BJP national president
• Ram Nath Thakur, Union Minister and sitting Rajya Sabha MP
• Upendra Kushwaha, chief of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha
• Shivesh Kumar, BJP candidate seeking his first Rajya Sabha term

The opposition alliance has nominated Amarendra Dhari Singh from the RJD, who is seeking re-election.

Numbers Game in the Bihar Assembly

The Bihar Assembly has 243 members, and a candidate requires the support of at least 41 MLAs to secure a Rajya Sabha seat.

The NDA currently holds around 202 MLAs, which is enough to comfortably win four seats. However, it falls slightly short of the numbers required to secure the fifth seat.
This means that even a few missing or cross-voting opposition legislators could shift the outcome.

Opposition Strategy to Prevent Cross-Voting

To prevent possible cross-voting, the RJD-led Grand Alliance had earlier kept its MLAs together at a hotel in Patna.

The alliance is also counting on support from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has five MLAs in the Assembly and has publicly backed the RJD candidate.
However, the sudden absence of opposition MLAs has raised questions about the alliance's internal coordination.

High Stakes for Both Alliances

With voting continuing until the afternoon, both alliances are closely watching the turnout of MLAs inside the Assembly.

If the missing legislators fail to vote, it could tilt the balance in favour of the NDA and reshape the outcome of the Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar.
The final result will become clear once the counting begins later in the day.