Whoever is elected, our hope is they work for organisation: Bihar Minister Deepak Prakash on RLM state chief polls
Patna, June 7
Bihar Minister and Rashtriya Lok Morcha member Deepak Prakash on Sunday extended his best wishes for candidates for the June 18 Bihar Legislative Council elections while refraining from commenting on matters related to seat-sharing and alliance decisions, saying such issues would be better addressed by the top leadership.
Further, on the election for the post of RLM's Bihar chief, Prakash, who is state Panchayati Raj Minister, said the party was conducting its state-level convention alongside the organisational polls.
Speaking to ANI, Prakash said, "First of all, we extend our congratulations and best wishes to all the candidates whose names have been announced. As for seat allocation, alliances, or decisions taken by leaders in meetings, that is their matter. I have no specific comment on this issue. The top leadership will be able to answer this better."
"Today, the party is holding its state-level convention, alongside the election for the state president. We extend our best wishes to both candidates. Whoever is elected, our hope is that they work for the organisation, for the people, and for the party," said the Bihar Minister, who is the son of RLM party chief and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha.
Elections are scheduled on June 18 for 10 seats in total of the Bihar Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) - nine biennial seats and bypoll to one seat, which was vacated by former Chief Minister and JDU president Nitish Kumar after he became a member of the Rajya Sabha. The term of the nine members is scheduled to expire on June 28. The Election Commission has also scheduled the by-election to coincide with the Council elections.
Nitish Kumar had resigned from the legislative council on March 30 and took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha on April 10 this year. An elected legislative council member serves a six-year term, while the term of the specific seat vacated by Nitish Kumar will continue until 2030.
Two seats held by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and JD(U) leader Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha fell vacant as both were elected as MLAs in the 2025 Assembly elections. The seven other members whose term ends on June 28 include Kumud Verma, Ghulam Ghous, Mohd. Farooq, Bhisma Sahani, Sanjay Prakash alias Sanjay Mayukh, Samir Kumar Singh and Sunil Kumar Singh.
The BJP and JD(U) will contest four seats each, while one seat has been allotted to Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
The BJP's Central Election Committee had on Friday approved the names of Sheela Pandit, Pawan Singh, Sanjay Mayukh and Anil Kumar Thakur for the biennial Bihar Legislative Council elections.
The Janata Dal (United) also released its list of candidates for the 2026 Bihar Legislative Council polls. According to the official list, the party has fielded Nishant Kumar from Patna, Bharti Mehta from Madhubani and Shivrani Devi Prajapati from West Champaran for the biennial elections. For the Legislative Council by-election, it has nominated Lalan Prasad to contest the vacancy in Sheikhpura.
Union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday declared Ashraf Ansari, the spokesman of his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), as the party's candidate for biennial elections to the Bihar legislative council.
In the 75-member Bihar Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad), 27 seats are elected by the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), and 12 members are nominated by the Governor. Local bodies elect 24 members whereas six MLCs are elected by graduate and teacher constituencies each.
In the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly, the NDA has 201 MLAs- BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 89 seats in the Assembly polls last year, RLM had won 4 seats, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) bagged 19 seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), won 5 seats,
The Opposition, which fought as the Mahagathbandhan, holds 35 seats- Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had bagged 25 seats, while the Congress won 6 seats, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation had 2 seats and the CPI(M) and Indian Inclusive Party bagged one seat each. AIMIM won five seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got one seat.
The Election Commission has scheduled the Bihar Legislative Council by-election, which will be conducted through voting by members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The last date of making a nomination is June 8, after which the scrutiny will take place on June 9, and the last date of withdrawal is June 11. Polling will take place on June 18, followed by counting on the same day.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The Bihar Legislative Council elections are always a game of numbers. Hope the chosen candidates actually understand ground realities, not just party connections.
'Whoever is elected, our hope is they work for the organisation' - this is exactly what we need to hear. Party loyalty is important but public service must be the priority. Let's see how the new RLM state chief performs.
Interesting to see the NDA coalition dynamics in Bihar. BJP and JD(U) contesting four seats each while Chirag Paswan's party gets one. Hope the seat-sharing doesn't create friction within the alliance. The opposition needs to get its act together too.
Nitish Kumar ji has been switching sides so many times, it's hard to keep track! But seriously, the council elections matter for policy making. Hope the elected members focus on issues like education and farmers' welfare in Bihar.
Deepak Prakash has learned from his father Upendra Kushwaha - being diplomatic is key in Bihar politics. But the real question is whether these council elections will bring any change for the common man. Let's hope so!
One thing I appreciate about Deepak Prakash is how he avoids controversy and focuses on work. Bihar needs more such leaders who don
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