Bihar: 4 Mahagathbandhan MLAs missing during Rajya Sabha voting
What's the story
The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar faced a major setback on Monday as four of its MLAs skipped voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. The missing legislators were Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Faisal Rahman and three Congress MLAs: Manohar Prasad, Surendra Kushwaha, and Manoj Biswas. According to sources from India Today TV, the Congress trio was unreachable throughout the day, with their phones switched off or unanswered calls.
Election dynamics
INDIA bloc in direct fight with NDA
The absence of these four MLAs comes at a crucial time as the INDIA bloc is in a direct fight with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the fifth Rajya Sabha seat. JD(U) leaders Nitish Kumar and Ramnath Thakur, along with BJP's Nitin Nabin and Shivam Kumar, are likely to win. The contest for the last seat is between NDA's Upendra Kushwaha and Mahagathbandhan's AD Singh.
Vote tally
Tally stands at 37 for Mahagathbandhan
All 202 NDA MLAs have voted, while the Mahagathbandhan's tally stands at 37 due to the absence of four legislators. This is likely to tip the scales in favor of NDA's fifth candidate, Shivesh Kumar. The RJD-Congress-led Grand Alliance had 35 MLAs in Bihar's 243-member Assembly and needed at least 41 votes for victory.
Election strategy
Grand Alliance had support from 5 AIMIM MLAs
The Grand Alliance had support from five AIMIM MLAs and was hoping for a BSP MLA's vote. The unexplained absence of three Congress MLAs is crucial as Kushwaha needed votes from at least three Grand Alliance MLAs to win. Ahead of the election, the Grand Alliance had kept its MLAs at a hotel in Patna to prevent poaching attempts, while the NDA held meetings with legislators at ministerial residences in Patna on Sunday.