PATNA, June 1 -- Hectic parleys and lobbying by aspiring candidates for the upcoming MLC polls to fill up nine vacancies in the state Legislative Council have intensified in both the ruling NDA and Opposition INDIA blocs, with former chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar holding a meeting of his party office-bearers to finalise candidates. Bihar will vote for nine vacant MLC seats and bypoll for one seat on June 18. The last date for nomination is June 8. The bypoll will be for the seat vacated by Nitish Kumar who resigned as MLC on March 30. Numerically, the NDA is set to win 8 out of nine seats and the 9th seat is likely to see tight contest as both the blocs might field candidates, like what the state witnessed for one Rajya Sabha seat in March. Sources said that the NDA, having a strength of 202 members in the state assembly, can easily win eight out of nine seats in the biennial polls with discussions in final stages on probable candidates based on caste equations and also a seat-sharing formula being worked out within the bloc. Insiders in the NDA said that there are chances that the BJP and JD(U) would contest equal number of three seats each out of eight seats and allot one seat each to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). For the bypoll on one seat, the JD(U) is highly likely to contest, sources said. "There would be at least one candidate from the Upper Caste and two others from the OBC and SC communities from the BJP. The JD(U) too may field candidates from EBCs and other classes in the polls," said a senior BJP leader, in know of the matter. However, it is still unclear whether the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) would get a seat or not though founder of the party and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has made a demand for one seat in the biennial polls. Prem Ranjan Patel, state BJP spokesperson, said that discussions are going on between the BJP , JD(U) and other allies on putting a candidate for the ninth seat and if that happens, the ruling coalition would win the seat quite easily. " We are discussing on whether to put a candidate for all nine seats or not with our allies. If it happens, we are confident of winning the ninth seat too. If the NDA contests the ninth seat, it will go to the BJP's kitty," Patel said. There are chances that Deepak Prakash, minister of panchayati raj department and son of RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, would be one of the candidates of the NDA while there are also speculations that Nishant Kumar, health minister and son of Nitish Kumar, would also be a candidate. Both Prakash and Kumar are not presently members of any House. The RJD is hopeful of getting through one seat. "The RJD and INDIA bloc would put its candidate and we will win one seat," said Chittaranjan Gagan, state RJD spokesperson....