Two New Bihar Independent MLCs Back BJP After Defeating Ruling Ally Candidates

Two newly-elected independent MLCs, Rahul Raj and Banshidhar Brajwasi, have extended their support to the BJP after winning the state legislative council elections. Both candidates attended the party's state legislature meeting on Saturday after previously defeating candidates from the ruling alliance partner Janata Dal-United in their respective constituencies. Banshidhar Brajwasi won the Tirhut Graduate seat by defeating JD-U candidate Abhishek Jha by a margin of over 9,000 votes. Rahul Raj secured the Saran Teachers seat by defeating JD-U candidate Anand Pushkar by 1,800 votes. Rahul Raj is a former BJP worker who ran as an independent after his seat went to the JD-U under coalition agreements. Elections for eight legislative council seats took place on October 23, with results announced between October 27 and October 29. The NDA partners BJP and JD-U had each contested four seats.

Reactions

Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi formally welcomed the two independent MLCs into the party in the presence of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, state in-charge Harish Dwivedi, and national secretaries Roshan Gupta and Sangeeta Yadav. Political analyst Nawal Kishore Choudhary noted that the support carries significant political meaning since both winners defeated official NDA alliance candidates. JD-U leaders remained silent on the issue, while the opposition RJD alleged that the BJP used money to lure the independent candidates into its fold.

Context

Legislative council elections in India involve specialised electorates such as teachers, graduates, and local body representatives rather than the general public. Such shifts in allegiance by independent winners are common in state politics to strengthen ruling majorities and secure political influence.