Patna, June 6 (IANS) After the BJP and JD(U), the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has also declared its nominee for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections.

Acting on the directions of the party’s National President and Union Minister, Chirag Paswan, the party has fielded Ashraf Ansari as its candidate.

With this announcement, all the seats allocated to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the Legislative Council elections now have officially declared candidates.

The BJP’s list now comprises Pawan Singh, Sanjay Mayukh, Anil Kumar Thakur, and Sheila Pandit.

JD(U) has fielded Nishant Kumar, Bharti Mehta, Shivrani Prajapati, and Lalan Prasad (by-election).

According to the current numerical strength of the NDA in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, political observers believe that the alliance is strongly positioned to secure nine out of the ten available Legislative Council seats.

The announcement has also intensified speculation surrounding Rashtriya Lok Morcha and its leadership.

Particular attention has focused on the absence of the name of Panchayati Raj Minister Deepak Prakash from the NDA’s candidate list.

His exclusion is being viewed by many as a significant political setback for both him and the party led by Upendra Kushwaha.

Deepak Prakash currently serves as a minister in the Bihar government but is not a member of either the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council.

Under Article 164(4) of the Constitution of India, a minister who is not a member of the state legislature must secure election or nomination to either House within six months of assuming office; otherwise, they must vacate the ministerial position.

The Legislative Council election was therefore widely seen as a crucial opportunity for Deepak Prakash to obtain legislative membership.

With the NDA having finalised all of its candidates and his name missing from the list, political circles are now closely watching how the alliance addresses the constitutional requirement regarding his continuation in the Council of Ministers.

The completion of the NDA’s candidate selection process has largely clarified the alliance’s electoral strategy for the Bihar Legislative Council polls.

–IANS

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