PATNA, March 11 -- Even as the biennial polls to the Rajya Sabha for five seats have triggered much political heat in the state, another round of heightened political activity is expected in coming one month over the biennial polls to the State Legislative Council for nine vacant seats though an announcement for the polls is yet to be made by the Election Commission of India (ECI). There are indications that the biennial polls for nine vacant seats from the legislative quota will be announced by next month while there will be also by-election for two other seats, whose incumbents became MLAs in the 2025 Assembly polls -- health minister Mangal Pandey and JD(U) MLA Radha Charan Sah. While Pandey was elected from the legislative quota in March 2024, Sah was elected from the Bhojpur-cum-Buxar local authorities constituency a few years ago, and neither has completed their six-year term. "The bypoll would be held to fill up two seats vacated by Pandey and Sah and the new incumbents would a term for number of years, the previous incumbents were elected for," said a senior election official, seeking anonymity. The term of MLCs in the upper house of state legislature is for six years. The Bihar Legislative Council has a total strength of 75 members. Sources in the state legislature said that the Council has already sent the list of nine vacant seats from the legislative quota to the state election department recently as required for holding the biennial polls. Secretary, State Legislative Council Akhilesh Kumar Jha, said that the names of members retiring in June have been sent to the state election department. "Once the ECI announces the polls, the process will begin," he said. Significantly, there are also indications that one more seat in the state Council will fall vacant in coming days once CM Nitish Kumar gets elected to the Rajya Sabha after the polls on March 16 and resigns from the state Council as MLC. CM Kumar was elected to the state Council In March 2024 and his six year term has to end in 2030. Meanwhile, lobbying has started by aspirants from the ruling NDA and Opposition RJD-led INDIA bloc for getting a berth in the Council out of the nine seats. There are already speculations that the JD(U) -- a constituent of the ruling NDA -- may name CM Kumar's son Nishant Kumar as one of the party's nominee for the MLC berth while another big claimant for the MLC seat from the NDA is Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief and MP, Upendra Kushawaha's son, Deepak Prakash, who is a minister. CM Kumar's son Nishant joined the JD(U) formally on Sunday and many of the JD(U) top leaders have signalled that he may contest the biennial polls to the state Council in coming months to become a MLC. Prakash, who took oath as a minister after the formation of the NDA government in November last year, is still not a member of either house of state legislature and has to be become a member of any house within six months to continue as a minister in the state cabinet, official said. Sources said that out of the nine seats in the biennial polls to the state Council, the ruling NDA could win at least seven seats while two seats could go to the Opposition bloc based on the strength of MLAs of the two major coalitions in Bihar. "There could be once again a contest in the biennial polls to the state Council on the lines of the Rajya Sabha in case there are more than nine candidates in the fray against the vacancies. If it does not happen, all candidates would win unopposed," said a senior official in the state assembly. On the other hand, BJP on Monday appointed Union minister Harsh Malhotra and Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma as central observer for the Rajya Sabha polls in Bihar apart from appointing other central observers for other states, as per agency reports....