NDA to Finalise Bihar Council Poll Strategy at October 9 Meeting

The ruling NDA in Bihar will hold a legislative party meeting here on Friday to finalise its strategy for the upcoming Legislative Council elections, state BJP president Sanjay Saraogi said on Thursday.

Eight seats of the state Legislative Council will go to polls on October 23, with the NDA currently holding five of them. All five sitting MLCs of the ruling coalition are seeking re-election, including four from the BJP.

Saraogi said the NDA had discussed the upcoming polls at a meeting held on Wednesday evening at the residence of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and decided to contest the elections jointly.

"The NDA shall fight together as a team. To give finishing touches to our strategy, a meeting of the NDA legislative party has been called here on Friday," he told reporters.

The alliance, however, faces internal challenges in some constituencies.

The JD(U) is contesting four of the eight seats, but its sitting MLC Neeraj Kumar faces opposition from party MLA Anant Kumar Singh in the Patna Graduates constituency.

In the Saran Teachers constituency, JD(U)'s official candidate Anand Pushkar faces a challenge from Ram Pukar Sinha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, the smallest constituent of the ruling alliance.

Saraogi declined to comment directly on the possibility of infighting affecting the NDA's prospects, saying the alliance remained united and that state presidents of individual parties had been authorised to address party-specific issues.

"The NDA is intact and stands united," he said.

Asked about the opposition INDIA bloc's protest in New Delhi seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Saraogi defended the electoral roll revision.

He said the opposition had been given ample opportunity to raise objections but had failed to point out any anomaly. He alleged that its criticism of the Election Commission was driven by frustration after its electoral defeat in Bihar.