PATNA: Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Mishra filed their nomination papers as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the by-election to two Rajya Sabha seats on Wednesday.Both candidates are likely to be elected unopposed, as no candidate from the Opposition has filed nominations. Wednesday was the last date for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha by-poll on these two seats in the state.The seats became vacant after Vivek Thakur of the BJP and Misa Bharti of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) were elected to the Lok Sabha. If elected, Kushwaha will serve a term of two years (until April 9, 2026), while Mishra will serve for four years (until July 7, 2028).On Tuesday, the BJP announced Manan Mishra, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and former Chairman of the BCI, as the second candidate from Bihar. Kushwaha’s name was announced earlier.Both Kushwaha and Mishra filed their nominations at the Bihar Assembly in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Health Minister Mangal Pandey, and JD(U) Rajya Sabha member and working president Sanjay Jha, among others.After filing his nomination, Kushwaha thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for recommending his name for the Rajya Sabha. “My nomination to the Upper House will help the NDA in the assembly election due next year,” he told the media.Kushwaha, who joined the NDA before the Lok Sabha elections, expressed confidence that the NDA would be able to form the next government in Bihar. “The Opposition doesn’t stand anywhere. It has no chance of coming to power in the state. It’s clear now that the next government in Bihar will be of the NDA,” he asserted.On the other hand, Mishra, a native of Gopalganj in Bihar, also thanked the BJP leadership for nominating him for the Rajya Sabha by-poll. “I am thankful to the BJP leadership for giving me this opportunity. I will shoulder any responsibility the party wants to give me,” he told the media outside the Bihar Assembly premises.However, this will be Kushwaha’s second stint as a Rajya Sabha member. Earlier, he was a member of the Lok Sabha, Bihar Assembly, and Bihar Legislative Council. For Mishra, it will be his maiden entry into the Rajya Sabha. Mishra had, however, unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Bettiah.Elections to the 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in nine states will be held on September 3. The scrutiny of the papers will be done on August 22, and the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is August 22.
Source link
