JD(U) National Council meet on June 21, Nitish’s consultations with top leaders spark buzz
Ahead of the meeting, former chief minister Nitish Kumar has been holding a series of one-on-one meetings with his close associates and senior JD(U) leaders.
JDU leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union Minister Ram Nath Thakur, Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, and former BJP MLA Shivesh Kumar were elected to the Rajya Sabha on Monday as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept the Rajya Sabha Elections in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar and Nitin Nabin received 44 first-preference votes each to win the election. Ram Nath Thakur and Upendra Kushwaha were elected to the upper house after securing 42 first-preference votes each. Surprisingly, BJP leader Shivesh Ram, who secured 30 votes, also reportedly won with the help of second-preference votes.
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Controversy over Shivesh Ram’s victory
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However, a controversy also erupted over Shivesh Ram’s victory as RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the Opposition candidate Amarendra Dhari Singh secured 37 votes. “As far as our candidate is concerned, we received 37 votes, while Shivesh, the BJP’s fifth candidate, received only 30 votes, and a recounting is underway.”
He further added, “We want the counting process to be fair, not under any pressure. If Shivesh Ram gets 30 votes and we get 37, then we are winning this election. If the ruling party is getting it recounted, it means they’ve lost and are trying to force a victory. Dishonesty is the BJP’s job.”
Earlier, reports claimed that three Congress MLAs – Manoj Biswas (Forbesganj), Surendra Prasad Kushwaha (Valmiki Nagar), and Manohar Prasad Singh (Manihari) – abstained from voting in the Rajya Sabha polls. RJD MLA Dhaka Faisal Rahman also didn’t turn up to cast his vote.
On the contrary, all the 202 MLAs of the ruling NDA alliance cast their votes in the keenly contested Rajya Sabha elections.
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