RJD Leaders Granted Authority for Rajya Sabha Candidate Selection
RJD Leadership Takes Charge of Candidate Selection
On Sunday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, Lalu Prasad Yadav, along with the party's national executive president, Tejashwi Yadav, was empowered to make the final decision regarding candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Voting will take place for five seats in Bihar's Rajya Sabha. With 202 legislators, the NDA is expected to secure two seats each for the BJP and JD(U), while the RJD aims to capture the fifth seat.
Key Meeting Held in Patna
The decision was made during a parliamentary board meeting of the RJD at Tejashwi's official residence in Patna, attended by several senior leaders. Lalu participated in the meeting via video conferencing from New Delhi. Speculations have arisen in some media circles that Tejashwi might contest the elections from Bihar. The name of Hena Shahab, the wife of the late Mohammad Shahabuddin, a prominent former RJD MP from Siwan, is also being discussed.
Election Timeline and Speculations
The deadline for filing nominations for the five vacant seats in Bihar is set for March 5, with elections scheduled for March 16 if necessary. However, party leaders have remained tight-lipped regarding rumors about Tejashwi Yadav potentially being a candidate. RJD MLA Bhai Virendra informed reporters, 'Both the central and state parliamentary boards have authorized the national president and the national executive president (Yadav) to make decisions regarding the Rajya Sabha elections. Yes, it has been decided that we will contest the elections.' Senior leader and former Union minister Kanti Singh added that they are indeed going to participate in the Rajya Sabha elections. When questioned about the party's lack of sufficient numbers, he responded, 'So what?'
Current Political Landscape
Notably, two of the five seats up for election at the end of this month are currently held by the RJD. The party faced a significant defeat in the recent assembly elections and lacks the numbers needed to send a member to the upper house. Currently, the RJD has only 25 legislators in the 243-member assembly. Although they are likely to receive full support from coalition partners like Congress and leftist parties, their combined strength falls short by about six seats of the minimum required to secure a Rajya Sabha seat. Nevertheless, since the announcement of the elections for the five seats, where the remaining three are held by the National Democratic Alliance, RJD leaders have expressed their desire to contest for one seat, banking on support from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has five members in the assembly.