Patna, March 15 (IANS) Voting for five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar is scheduled to take place on Monday, with intense political activity underway between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Mahagathbandhan.

Amid the speculation over numbers, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has clarified its stand.

The party’s Bihar state president, Akhtarul Iman, confirmed that all five AIMIM MLAs will vote in favour of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections.

The announcement came after an Iftar gathering in Patna hosted by AIMIM, which was attended by leaders from opposition parties.

Speaking after the event, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said the opposition had sought AIMIM’s support and expressed confidence about the outcome.

“We received an invitation to the Iftar party from AIMIM and attended it. We have sought their support for the Rajya Sabha elections. I am confident that we will unite and defeat the BJP,” Tejashwi said.

Akhtarul Iman also clarified the party’s position.

“This election is not a matter of complicated strategy. All five of our MLAs have decided to support the RJD candidate, A.D. Singh,” he said.

However, he avoided responding to questions from the media on whether any conditions were attached to the support.

When Tejashwi Yadav arrived at the Iftar gathering, Akhtarul Iman welcomed him with a bouquet and embraced him.

The moment was widely interpreted in political circles as a signal of AIMIM’s support for the opposition bloc in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

Ahead of the voting, several meetings are being held within different political camps.

The gathering was seen as politically significant, especially since all AIMIM MLAs were present, reinforcing the party’s decision to support the opposition candidate.

The contest for the fifth Rajya Sabha seat is considered close.

According to political calculations, the support of the five AIMIM MLAs could push the Mahagathbandhan’s vote tally to around 40.

The final outcome may depend on the vote of a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA, whose position remains unclear.

Political observers believe that if the AIMIM MLAs vote as announced and the BSP legislator also backs the opposition, the Mahagathbandhan candidate could secure victory.

–IANS

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