PATNA: All five candidates in the biennial election to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, including RJD president Lalu Prasad’s eldest daughter Misa Bharti, are set to enter the Upper House of the Parliament without contesting the polls, as only five persons filed nomination against the five seats from the state till Tuesday, the last date of making nominations.
Other four candidates are Faiyaz Ahmad (RJD), Khiru Mahto (JD-U), Satish Chandra Dubey and Shambhu Sharan Patel (both from BJP).
"As only five candidates are in the fray against a similar number of seats, there would be no voting. As per the election rules, all five candidates would be declared 'elected uncontested' on June 3, the last date for withdrawal of candidatures, if their nominations are found valid during the scrutiny on June 1 and they do not withdraw their candidatures in between June 1 to 3," a Vidhan Sabha who is familiar with the election process, told TOI on Tuesday.
While RJD’s Misa Bharti and BJP’s Satish Chandra Dubey will enter the Rajya Sabha for the second time, the rest three – Khiru Mahto (JD-U), Faiyaz Ahmad (RJD) and Shambhu Sharan Patel (BJP) would reach the Parliament for the first time.
Earlier in the day, accompanied by senior NDA leaders, the BJP’s both candidates Dubey and Patel reached the Vidhan Sabha and filed their nomination papers before the returning officer-cum-secretary, Vidhan Sabha, Shailendra Singh.
Prominent NDA leaders who were present during the filing of nominations were senior JD(U) leader and state’s rural development minister Shrawan Kumar, state’s panchayati raj minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary, BJP MLA Janak Singh, JD(U) MLCs Sanjay Kumar Singh alias Gandhiji and Lalan Saraf.
