Eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani, former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, lalu Prasad's eldest daughter Misa Bharti and bureaucrat-turned-politician RCP Singh, apart from former Bihar BJP president Gopal Narayan Singh, are all set to enter the Rajya Sabha from Bihar uncontested. For the five vacant seats, the four filed their nomination papers on Monday, while BJP nominee would file it on Tuesday.
Jethmalani and Misa are RJD candidate while Sharad and RCP have been fielded by the JD(U). Incidentally, all the five seats belonged to the JD(U) but the party has numerical strength in the Assembly to accommodate only two, as a result its two senior leaders K C Tyagi and Pavan K Varma have been dropped while another Ghulam Rasool Baliavi has been accommodated in the legislative Council.
The selection of the candidates in all the three parties has created fissures. In RJD, there had been some senior leaders who had been eyeing seat in the Rajya Sabha. They included former Union Minister Raghubansh Prasad Singh and former MPs Jagdanand Singh and Prabunath Singh. In BJP too, the front runner was Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who wanted to enter the national politics.
Jethmalani,92, wearing a grey suit filed his papers in presence of senior leaders of RJD and JD(U) including lalu Prasad and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He said, "Please to God to give me some more opportunity to serve the people of this country." Misa, in a beige colour floral printed shalwar suit, arrived escorted by parents lalu and Rabri Devi. Her brother and Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was also present.
All these five people once elected to the Upper House will have a tenure of six years. Earlier there had been reports that lalu was in favour of sending his wife Rabri Devi to the Rajya Sabha in order to ensure a bigger house in lutyen's Delhi but the supremo had to succumb to the wishes of his daughter and other family members. Rabri is already a member of the legislative Council.
With lalu's eldest daughter Misa is fifth member of the family to join active politics and become member of the legislative body. While lalu is barred from contesting polls, her two brothers are MlAs and enjoy number two and number three slot in the Government.
For the seven vacant seats in the legislative Council, JD(U) and RJD have fielded two candidates each and one nominee fielded by Congress. While BJP has decided to contest two seats, the RJD is also contemplating to field its third candidate even as BJP has decided to put up two candidates.
The RJD's candidates are Ram Chandra Purbe, Qamar Alam and Ranvijay Singh while JD(U) has fielded C P Sinha apart from Baliavi. Congress candidate is State vice president Tanveer Akhtar. The BPJ has declared one name that of Arjun Sahni. Party sources said the BJP will announce its second candidate.
