PATNA, June 8 -- Fate of Deepak Prakash, son of Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) president Upendra Kushwaha and a recently sworn-in minister in the Bihar government, hangs in a balance ahead of the biennial elections to the state legislative council. Despite his recent induction into the Samrat Choudhary-led cabinet, Prakash finds himself without a declared NDA ticket for the polls, triggering unease within the smaller alliance partner. If Prakash fails to get nomination, he might be forced to vacate his ministerial post as he has to be a member of one of the houses of the legislatures within six months after becoming a minister. In addition, even if he is fielded as the 10th NDA candidate in a contest where the Opposition has an edge by virtue of numbers, his fate will depend on possible desertions of Opposition's legislators or backing in his favour. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has announced candidates for nine of the 10 seats up for grabs in the legislative council elections from the assembly quota and the bypoll for the vacancy created by former chief minister Nitish Kumar's election to the Rajya Sabha. State BJP president Sanjay Saraogi confirmed on Saturday that the nine candidates - four from the BJP, four from the JD(U) and one from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) - will file their papers on Monday, the last day for filing of nominations. BJP candidates include Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh, Sanjay Mayukh, Anil Kumar Thakur and Sheela Pandit. JD(U) has fielded Nishant Kumar (son of Nitish Kumar), Bharti Mehta, Shivani Devi Prajapati and Lalan Prasad. The LJP(RV) nominee Ashraf Ansari, a loyalist of Chirag Paswan, completes the list of nine. With voting scheduled for June 18, the arithmetic in the Assembly - where each MLC candidate needs 25 first-preference votes from MLAs - leaves room for the opposition to potentially clinch at least one seat if NDA unity falters. RLM, as an NDA constituent, is hoping for the BJP's 'mercy' to let Prakash continue as the minister, since it had promised an MLC seat to the party. Senior BJP leaders pointed out that while a seat in the legislative council was discussed during assembly election seat-sharing talks, RLM had already secured a Rajya Sabha berth for its chief Upendra Kushwaha. Kushwaha was elected unopposed to the Upper House with NDA support in August 2024. RLM leaders have so far maintained a studied silence on the apparent snub to Deepak Prakash. RLM MLA Snehlata Kushwaha on Sunday said, "We have time until tomorrow, as the last date to file nominations is the 8th. Our party's national president will explain further details on this matter." A close aide to Upendra Kushwaha told HT that the matter has been taken up with Union home minister Amit Shah. "We cannot say anything on this matter right now," the leader said, adding that the party hopes for a resolution before the nomination filing deadline on June 8. "If the BJP has decided to deny the MLC berth, then why was Prakash allowed to be sworn in as a minister?" he questioned. Repeated attempts to contact Upendra Kushwaha for his reaction on the issue went unanswered. Earlier, at the RLM state convention on Sunday, party chief Upendra Kushwaha asserted the party's continued relevance in the NDA. He said his party remains a partner in the Bihar government and will continue to be so. "There should be no confusion in anyone's mind about this," he added. Kushwaha further stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's affection towards him has never diminished. "Not everything is good all the time. Sometimes we take two steps forward, sometimes one step back," he remarked. Without directly referring to the ongoing MLC issue, Kushwaha declared, "No one can ignore RLM. The existence of RLM cannot be ended for the sake of one post. No power in the world can do that." The RLM has re-elected MLA Alok Kumar Singh as its Bihar unit president. Prashant Pankaj and Subhash Chandravanshi have been appointed as working presidents, while Himanshu Patel has been made principal general secretary. Upendra Kushwaha made the announcement at the state convention on Sunday. Two nominations were filed for the state president post, but both candidates authorised the national president to decide. Upendra Kushwaha described the election of the party's state president as part of a "normal democratic process." He told reporters, "Elections have been conducted from the panchayat level up to the national level. The elections for panchayat representatives and district presidents have already been completed, and today the election for the state president is to be finalised." Bihar minister Deepak Prakash congratulated the NDA candidates announced for the MLC polls while deferring comments on seat allocation to the top leadership. Speaking to reporters, Prakash said, "First of all, we extend our congratulations and best wishes to all the candidates whose names have been announced. As for seat allocation, alliances, or decisions taken by leaders in meetings, that is their matter. I have no specific comment on this issue. The top leadership will be able to answer this better." The development comes at a delicate time for the NDA in Bihar, testing the alliance's cohesion. Prakash, who took oath as panchayati raj minister earlier this year despite not being a legislator, represents the younger face of the Kushwaha community within the alliance. His ministerial elevation had been seen as a gesture of accommodation for RLM, which delivered crucial support in the assembly polls. As nominations close on Monday and with the state unit election concluded, all eyes are on whether backroom negotiations can secure a last-minute accommodation for Prakash or if the smaller partner will have to reconcile with the current distribution of seats....