Rajya Sabha polls: Oppn camp upbeat as AIMIM backs RJD nominee in Bihar

Patna: The AIMIM, which has five MLAs in the Bihar assembly, on Sunday decided to support RJD candidate Amarendra Dhari Singh in the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for Monday. With this support, Singh appears well placed with the backing of the mandatory 41 MLAs required for victory.In theory, Singh is banking on the support of 25 RJD MLAs, six from the Congress, three from the Left parties, one from the BSP, five from the AIMIM and the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) MLA I P Gupta. To strengthen the opposition camp’s position ahead of the poll, RJD working president Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Sunday attended the Iftaar hosted by AIMIM state president and MLA Akhtarul Iman. Singh, Gupta and others were also present on the occasion.“We have requested for support from the AIMIM for our candidate. It is my firm belief that all the secular forces will defeat the BJP,” Tejashwi told reporters after the iftaar.Gupta said, “The RJD candidate requires 41 votes for his win, but the RJD will get 45, and even 50 votes.” He also hinted at possible dissatisfaction within the LJP (Ram Vilas) led by Union minister Chirag Paswan and even within the JD(U), suggesting concerns that the BJP might have a CM in the future if Nitish Kumar moves to the Rajya Sabha.On Sunday, all 25 RJD MLAs were staying at a hotel in Patna, while AIMIM MLAs were seen moving in and out of another hotel. Some of them also visited the hotel where the RJD legislators were lodged.“Yes, I had gone to the house of Tejashwi to invite him to the iftaar. That posters have been put up is quite natural,” Iman told reporters earlier.AIMIM MLA Mohamad Tausif Alam said, “The AIMIM MLAs will participate in the Rajya Sabha election to defeat the BJP. True, there is also RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha in the fray, but he is in the NDA, and by implication, with the BJP.”“We will vote as per the ‘firman’ of our party leader Asaduddin Owaisi Saheb. We will vote for the RJD candidate, and it will be to defeat the BJP,” he added.Alam added his party would have preferred the RJD to field a Muslim candidate. “But ours is a weak party with only five MLAs. Therefore, we will support the RJD candidate to defeat the BJP,” he said.Meanwhile, speculation about possible cross voting by some Congress MLAs surfaced during the day. However, the state Congress dismissed the claims. “Our party MLAs will vote for the INDIA bloc candidate on Monday,” the party’s state spokesman Rajesh Rathorre said, adding that all six MLAs were in Patna and attending internal party meetings while remaining in touch with the RJD.