Patna: The process to nominate members for the Rajya Sabha in Bihar commenced on Thursday as the Election Commission issued notifications for six seats, the terms of which will end early next month. Out of these six seats, nominations will close on February 15. Three seats each are currently held by the state's ruling NDA and the 'Mahagathbandhan', now part of the opposition following Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent shift, aligning with the JD(U) president.

The current MPs whose terms are expiring include Vashishth Narayan Singh and Aneel Hegde from JDU, Sushil Kumar Modi from BJP, Manoj Kumar Jha and Ashfaq Karim from RJD, and state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh.

Voting for these seats is scheduled for February 27, with voting from 9 am to 4 pm and counting starting from 5 pm on the same day.

Considering the current assembly composition, the NDA can comfortably secure three seats with some votes to spare.

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, who is also the state BJP president, stated that his party will nominate two candidates this time due to its numerical strength, while assisting ally JD(U) in winning one seat. In the previous 2018 elections, JD(U) secured two seats while BJP settled for one.

JD(U) sources have not commented on BJP's assertive stance yet, awaiting signals from the chief minister who also heads the party and has discussed the Rajya Sabha polls with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent trip to Delhi.

Sushil Kumar Modi, a prominent face of BJP in Bihar for decades, will be closely watched. He allegedly lost the deputy CM position in 2020 due to his perceived closeness to JD(U) supremo.

The choice of candidate for JD(U)'s lone seat will be intriguing. Singh, an old loyalist of Nitish Kumar, may be considered. Hegde, a trusted aide, surprised many when he was chosen in a by-poll last year.

Karim's fundraising abilities earned him a Rajya Sabha seat. With RJD out of power and top leaders embroiled in legal issues, it's uncertain if he'll be considered for another term.

Jha, known for his vocal presence in Parliament, may also be considered for another term due to his proximity to the party's leadership.

RJD's support will be crucial for Congress, which lacks sufficient MLAs, to secure a Rajya Sabha seat. Akhilesh Prasad Singh, considered Lalu Prasad's confidant, holds prominence in Congress.

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