RS polls: Nitish Kumar dials Naveen Patnaik, seeks BJD's support for JDU candidate

Ahead of the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman's poll, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dialled Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday seeking Biju Janata Dal (BJD)'s support for Harivansh Narayan Singh.

Harivansh Narayan Singh who is the incumbent Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha has once again filed a nomination for the post as JD(U)'s candidate. Following his nomination, the Bihar CM dialled his counterpart in Odisha seeking BJD's support for Singh. 

It is also important to mention that Odisha's ruling BJD had supported Harivansh Narayan Singh back in 2018 when he had filed his nomination for the post as NDA's candidate. This had happened after Nitish Kumar had sought support from Naveen Patnaik.

On the other hand, the Congress-led opposition has finalised the candidature of RJD’s Manoj Jha for the polls. Jha had in 2018, lost to Harivansh Narayan Singh.

Read: Big Jolt To Lalu's RJD Ahead Of Bihar Polls As Raghuvansh Prasad Singh Resigns From Party

Read: Bihar Polls: Tej Pratap Yadav Kicks Off Election Campaign With Massive Rally In Hasanpur

Bihar Elections 2020

On the Bihar elections front, RJD's senior party leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh resigned from the party on Thursday. Ailing Raghuvansh Prasad is currently admitted at AIIMS Delhi, and had been vocal about the lack of leadership in RJD in the absence of Lalu. This also comes days after Raghuvansh Prasad opposed the induction of muscleman and former LJP MP Rama Singh into the party. He was then criticised by Lalu's son Tej Pratap Yadav. 

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Bihar is all set to go to polls for a 243-member assembly seat in October-November. The Election Commission has issued directives to conduct election amid COVID, however, the dates are yet to be announced. In the 2015 assembly polls, CM Nitish Kumar's JDU, then a part of the Mahagathbandhan won 71 seats, Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD won 80 seats, and Congress won 27 seats. The BJP which fought the elections alone after Kumar in 2013 broke the 17-year-old alliance won a mere 53 seats out of 157 contested. However, the saffron party came back to power when Kumar ditched the Mahagathbandhan and once again stitched an alliance with the BJP.

Read:Ex-JDU Chief Sharad Yadav In Talks With Party Netas Before Bihar Polls; May Rejoin NDA

Read: Bihar Polls: Sushant Rajput Finds A Mention In CM Nitish's Rally, Mourns Actor's Death