The NDA won all five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar on March 16, 2026, due to absences by four opposition legislators. In Haryana, BJP's Sanjay Bhatia and Congress's Karamvir Singh Boudh each secured one seat after a late-night count marred by vote secrecy violation complaints.
The biennial Rajya Sabha elections took place on March 16, 2026, requiring polls for five seats in Bihar, four in Odisha, and two in Haryana. In Bihar's 243-member assembly, the NDA holds 202 MLAs and swept all five seats: Nitish Kumar (JD(U)), Nitin Nabin, Ram Nath Thakur, Shivesh Kumar (BJP), and Upendra Kushwaha (RLM). The opposition's 41 MLAs saw four absences—three Congress (Manohar Prasad Singh, Surendra Prasad, Manoj Biswas) and one RJD (Faisal Rahman)—enabling NDA's strategic win on the fifth seat via second-preference votes, where Shivesh Kumar secured 4,002 votes. JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha stated, 'The NDA fought strategically, while the Leader of Opposition could not even hold on to its flock.' RJD spokesman Shakti Singh Yadav countered, 'Horse trading, intimidation, power misuse and money play can do what has happened.' Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram accused BJP of poaching. In Haryana's 90-member assembly, BJP's Sanjay Bhatia won with 39 first-preference votes (value 3,900, exceeding quota of 2,767), transferring surplus to BJP-backed independent Satish Nandal (16 first-preference votes, total 2,733). Congress's Karamvir Singh Boudh polled 28 votes (2,800), securing the second seat. Counting delayed past midnight due to complaints from both sides over vote secrecy violations; five votes invalidated (four Congress, one BJP), two INLD MLAs abstained. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the Election Commission alleging interference. BJP's Krishan Bedi complained about Congress MLAs showing ballots openly. Sources note opposition losses in Odisha too from cross-voting and absences, though specifics unavailable.
