On the final day for filing nominations for the Bihar Legislative Council (MLC) elections, all nine candidates of the NDA alliance, including Bihar Health Minister Nishant Kumar, submitted their nomination papers at the Legislative Assembly. Nishant Kumar, accompanied by JD(U) Working President Sanjay Jha, expressed gratitude for the party’s trust in him and pledged to work towards his father’s vision of a developed Bihar. BJP leader and Bhojpuri actor Pawan Singh, among other prominent candidates, also completed the nomination process.
Pawan Singh, arriving in a luxury Land Cruiser valued at around Rs 2.5 crore, attracted attention with a large entourage that included his elder brother, Guddu Singh. While he did not engage with the media, Singh conveyed his happiness at receiving the party’s nomination and extended thanks to the BJP leadership. The nomination process also saw other NDA candidates like Ashraf Ansari of LJP (Ram Vilas), Sanjay Mayukh (BJP), and Bharti Mehta from the JD(U) filing their nominations.
The Assembly witnessed the presence of several senior NDA leaders, including Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Union Ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and Chirag Paswan, along with various Bihar government ministers. In contrast, the Mahagathbandhan camp had a subdued presence, with RJD leader Sunil Kumar Singh being the sole prominent alliance candidate to file his nomination. A total of ten candidates are contesting the MLC elections, with nine from the NDA and one from the RJD.
Questions arose over the exclusion of former BJP state president Deepak Prakash from the NDA list. Bihar Minister Shravan Kumar of JD(U) clarified that the BJP had the final say in not including Prakash as a candidate. The party’s decision-making process led to Prakash’s omission from the alliance’s candidate list.
