3 min readPatnaMar 21, 2026 07:24 AM IST
First published on: Mar 21, 2026 at 07:24 AM IST
After the Opposition Mahagathbandhan lost to the NDA in the crucial Rajya Sabha polls earlier this week because four of its MLAs — three from the Congress and one from the RJD — skipped the vote, both parties now face a dilemma. They don’t know what action to take against them.
The Congress has issued show-cause notices to Surendra Mehta (Valmiki Nagar), Manoj Vishwas (Forbesganj), and Manohar Prasad Singh (Manihari), while the RJD has yet to decide on action against its Dhaka legislator Faisal Rahman.
Bihar Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari told The Indian Express that the notices were issued even though the anti-defection law does not apply to Rajya Sabha polls. “We are waiting for their responses, after which top party leaders will meet and decide on the appropriate course of action,” he said.
However, another Congress leader indicated that disciplinary action was unlikely, noting that the MLAs constitute nearly half of the party’s strength in the Assembly. “What if the Speaker recognises them as a separate group? In any case, the rebels were not true Congressmen. Mehta got a ticket due to (Independent Purnea MP) Pappu Yadav’s influence, while Singh is known to be close to JD(U) leaders,” the leader said.
The RJD faces a similar dilemma with Rahman, the son of former MP Motiur Rahman. “Faisal won his seat in last year’s Assembly polls by a very narrow margin. Moreover, we have confirmed that his mother was critically ill on the day of voting (March 16). Once our leader Tejashwi Yadav returns to Patna, the party is likely to summon the MLA. However, no formal show-cause notice has been issued yet,” an RJD leader said, adding that the party would not be provoked by NDA leaders “who want to further weaken it”.
While Rahman cited his mother’s illness for skipping the vote, the Congress MLAs alleged “humiliation” and sidelining by the RJD, claiming that the party unilaterally fielded A D Singh as the Opposition candidate.
BJP state vice-president Santosh Pathak dismissed these allegations, asserting that the NDA won as it remained united. JD(U) national spokesperson Neeraj Kumar added, “RJD leaders like Shakti Singh Yadav spoke of Opposition unity. Now that they have failed to keep their flock together, the onus is on the RJD and Congress to set an example by taking disciplinary action against their MLAs.”
Elections for five vacant Rajya Sabha seats in the state were held on March 16. The NDA, with 202 members in the 243-member Assembly, was expected to win four seats, while the Opposition’s combined strength of 41, including support from five AIMIM legislators, was sufficient see AD Singh through.
However, with four MLAs remaining absent, neither NDA’s Shivesh Ram nor A D Singh reached the required 41-vote mark. Eventually, Ram was declared the winner based on second-preference votes.