Upendra Kushwaha, Manan Mishra file nomination for Bihar RS polls

PATNA: Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Mishra filed their nomination papers as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the by-election to two Rajya Sabha seats on Wednesday.

Both candidates are likely to be elected unopposed, as no candidate from the Opposition has filed nominations. Wednesday was the last date for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha by-poll on these two seats in the state.

The seats became vacant after Vivek Thakur of the BJP and Misa Bharti of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) were elected to the Lok Sabha. If elected, Kushwaha will serve a term of two years (until April 9, 2026), while Mishra will serve for four years (until July 7, 2028).

On Tuesday, the BJP announced Manan Mishra, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and former Chairman of the BCI, as the second candidate from Bihar. Kushwaha’s name was announced earlier.

Both Kushwaha and Mishra filed their nominations at the Bihar Assembly in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Health Minister Mangal Pandey, and JD(U) Rajya Sabha member and working president Sanjay Jha, among others.