BJP, JD(U) candidates win Bihar Council two seats unopposed

The two NDA candidates, one each of the BJP and the JD(U), were declared elected unopposed on Friday in the by-poll for as many seats of Bihar Legislative Council.

The winners were Sanjay Jha of the JD(U) and the BJP's Radha Mohan Sharma.

Since there were only two nominations for as many vacancies in the state's Upper House, both candidates were declared elected unopposed after end of the deadline for withdrawal Friday, Bihar Assembly Secretary Bateshwar Nath Pandey said.

"I gave them certificates (for getting elected to the Legislative Council)," Pandey, who is also the returning officer for the by-poll, told PTI.

The by-poll was necessitated following the death of two MLCs--BJP's Suraj Nandan Kushwaha and RJD's Syed Khurshid Mohammad Mohsin alias Khurshid Mohsin.

Kushwaha died on December 29, 2018 while Mohsin, who was close to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, died on January 13, 2019.

Sharma's tenure would come to an end on May 6, 2020 while the term of Jha would be till May 6, 2024.

Jha is a close associate of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. His name was doing round for NDA candidate from Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat, which ultimately went to BJP's Gopaljee Thakur.

Sharma, is state BJP general secretary and hails from Jehanabad district.