EC announces schedule for by-election to Rajya Sabha seat which fell vacant after Ram Vilas Paswan's death

The Election Commission of India (EC) on November 19 announced the schedule for by-election to the Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar which fell vacant after the death of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on October 8.

The polling for the casual vacancy will be held on December 14, according to the EC. The notification will be issued on November 26, while the last day of nomination is on December 3 of this year.

Paswan, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) supremo, passed away at the age of 74 in Delhi. The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution had undergone a heart surgery, his son Chirag Paswan said on October 4.

Paswan was elected to the Upper House within a month after the Parliamentary elections last year. Earlier, reports had suggested that the LJP might not get the Rajya Sabha seat, and a Janata Dal (United) leader had told The Times of India that which party eventually gets the seat will become clear on the day the Bihar Assembly election results come out.

The confusion regarding the seat is due to the differences within the Bihar National Democratic Alliance (NDA), particularly between the LJP and the JD(U). While LJP chief and Paswan's son, Chirag has said he does not have any problem with the BJP and that he continues to remain a part of the NDA at national level, the LJP had contested outside of the alliance during the Assembly polls.