Patna: As preparations gathered pace for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections for five seats on March 16 at the state assembly, leaders of NDA constituents held a strategy meeting on Saturday at the residence of parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and decided to conduct a mock poll on Sunday.Senior leaders and whips of the legislature parties of the five NDA constituents — BJP, JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) — attended the meeting. Among them were deputy chief minister and home minister Samrat Choudhary, JD(U) state chief Umesh Singh Kushwaha and JD(U) minister Shrawan Kumar.“It was collectively decided to hold a mock Rajya Sabha poll at the residence of Vijay Kumar Chaudhary on Sunday. For this, the details regarding the polling agents of the respective five parties were also discussed and decided. All 202 NDA MLAs will be present,” rural development department minister Shrawan Kumar told reporters. He added that polling for the five Rajya Sabha seats would take place in the state assembly from 9am to 4pm.JD(U) state chief Kushwaha said, “Among those who held meeting at the residence of Vijay Kumar Chaudhary were MLAs, chief whips and whips of the legislature parties of the NDA partners. We also discussed the strategies. Above all, we are united, and all our five candidates will win.”The NDA candidates in the fray include BJP nominees Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Ram, RLM chief and sitting Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha, JD(U) nominee and chief minister Nitish Kumar, and sitting JD(U) Rajya Sabha member and Union minister Ram Nath Thakur.While four NDA candidates are expected to win comfortably, the fifth seat could require additional votes through cross-voting from the opposition. The opposition candidate is sitting RJD Rajya Sabha member Amarendra Dhari Singh.CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurabh alleged that there was discontent among some LJP (Ram Vilas) MLAs as their party was not consulted while selecting the candidates. However, BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi said the alliance had the numbers required for victory.
