As per the poll schedule, notifications will be issued on June 1, while the last date for filing nominations is June 8. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9, and candidates can withdraw their nominations till June 11.
Published: May 26, 2026 1:57 PM IST
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced the schedule for the biennial polls to nine seats of the Bihar legislative council, including the one vacated by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary after his election to the state assembly last year. The poll panel has also announced a bypoll for the legislative council seat vacated by former chief minister Nitish Kumar following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Polling for the nine seats and the by-election will be held on June 18, with counting of votes scheduled that evening. The entire election process will be completed by June 20. As per the poll schedule, notifications will be issued on June 1, while the last date for filing nominations is June 8. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9, and candidates can withdraw their nominations till June 11.
The MLCs whose terms are ending in June include Kumud Verma, Ghulam Ghous, Mohammad Farooq, Bhishma Sahni, Sanjay Prakash, Samir Kumar Singh and Sunil Kumar Singh. Sribhagwan Singh Kushwaha and Samrat Choudhary vacated their seats after getting elected to the Bihar assembly.
The bypoll is being necessitated after the resignation of Kumar, the state’s longest-serving CM, who was elected to the Upper House of Parliament in March.
Terms of these leaders coming to an end
The terms of the following leaders are set to end on June 28, 2026: Dr. Kumud Verma, Prof. Ghulam Gaus, Mohammad Farooq, Bhishm Sahni, Shreebhagwan Singh Kushwaha, Sanjay Mayukh, Sameer Kumar Singh, Samrat Choudhary, and Sunil Kumar Singh.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Minister Shreebhagwan Singh Kushwaha had resigned from their positions as Legislative Council members on November 16, 2025, after winning the Assembly elections.
With the announcement of the election and by-election schedule, political activity in the state is expected to intensify. However, preparations and strategies had already gathered momentum earlier.
