Bihar legislative council election 2022: Voting on for 24 seats

Bihar legislative council election 2022: The elections were postponed last year as rural local bodies, which hold about 97.56% of the total electoral college, couldn’t be reconstituted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The voting for 24 seats of the Bihar Legislative Council began on Monday morning as the state is in focus again after the assembly election results were out of Manipur, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Punjab last month. The polling started at 8am and will continue till 4pm. A total of 186 candidates are contesting the polls, and the counting of votes will take place on April 7.

District magistrate Prabhu N Singh, who is also the district election officer for Agra, issued guidelines to officials concerned for smooth conduct of MLC polls. (pic for representation)

The elections were due on July 16 last year, when the six-year tenure of their incumbent representatives ended. The Bihar MLC polls are critical for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to regain the post of the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha for former chief minister Rabri Devi.

In the notification, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had stated that the Bihar MLC elections had to be deferred as rural local bodies, which hold about 97.56% of the total electoral college, couldn’t be reconstituted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The rural body elections were due on June 15 last year.

For the legislative council polls, the RJD has named its candidates on 23 seats, leaving one for the CPI.

The BJP is contesting 12 seats, leaving 11 for its ally Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal United (JDU) and one for the Lok Janshakti Party of Pashupati Paras, who is a minister in the Modi government at Centre.

The elections are being held on the seats as follows - Patna, Nalanda, Gaya-cum-Jehanabad-cum-Arwal, Aurangabad, Nawada, Bhojpur-cum-Buxar, Rohtas-cum-Kaimur, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, West Champaran, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Sitamarhi, Sheohar Darbhanga, Samastipur, Munger-cum-Jamui-cum-Lakhisarai-cum-Sheikhpura, Begusarai-cum-Khagaria, Saharsa-cum-Madhepura-cum-Supaul, Bhagalpur-cum-Banka, Purnia-cum-Araria-cum-Kishanganj and Katihar.