Upendra Kushwaha, Manan Mishra file nominations for Bihar Rajya Sabha bypolls
With the last date of filing on August 21, both the candidates are set to be elected unopposed, as the opposition has not fielded any candidate
Patna: Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha and Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra filed on Wednesday their nominations as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates at the Bihar Legislative Assembly for the bypolls on two Rajya Sabha seats.
With the last date of filing on August 21, both the candidates are set to be elected unopposed, as the opposition has not fielded any candidate.
The BJP had on Tuesday nominated Mishra, a senior advocate in the Supreme Court, as the second Rajya Sabha candidate from Bihar, while Kushwaha’s name was announced earlier.
Elections to the 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in nine states will be held on September 3. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on August 22. The last day of withdrawal of names is on August 22.
“I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, and chief minister Nitish Kumar for nominating me. This will help the NDA in the next year’s Assembly elections. The opposition will stand no chance, and it is clear now that the next government in Bihar will also be of the NDA,” said Kushwaha after filing his nomination.
Mishra thanked the BJP leadership for giving him the opportunity and said that he would shoulder any responsibility the party gives him. “...I will work for strengthening the party and the government. In the state election next year, the BJP will have a big majority,” he said.
The two vacant seats include one of the BJP and another of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) after BJP leader Vivek Thakur was elected from Nawada, and RJD MP Misa Bharti was elected from Pataliputra seats.
This will be the second stint for Kushwaha in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, he was a member of the Lok Sabha, the Bihar Vidhan Sabha, and the Vidhan Parishad. For Mishra, it will be the first entry to the Rajya Sabha.