ALL IS WELL WITHIN THE NDA

ALL IS WELL WITHIN THE NDA

14-JUNE-ENG 7

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA------------------------Upendra Kushwaha's son is not the first person to be appointed a minister without being a member of either House; others have been appointed ministers in the past as well. Speculations circulating in political circles regarding Deepak Prakash—specifically whether he would remain a minister or not—have now been put to rest.

Today is a significant day for the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). An election for the post of National President was held in Delhi today, and Upendra Kushwaha was re-elected to the position. Senior leaders, MLAs, and party workers of the RLM attended the event in Delhi. Upendra Kushwaha appeared to be in high spirits today. Upendra Kushwaha, his son Deepak Prakash, and their party have been the subject of discussion for the past few days. The reason for this discussion is that Deepak Prakash has been holding a ministerial post without having been elected as a member of either House. It was widely expected that Deepak Prakash would be accommodated in one of the 10 Legislative Council seats, but that did not happen. Consequently, a disgruntled Upendra Kushwaha traveled to Delhi. However, after discussions with the party high command, his grievances were resolved, and the speculations were largely put to rest.

In fact, a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) took place to mark the completion of 12 years of the Modi government, attended by key leaders from all constituent parties. According to sources, Upendra Kushwaha received a message from the NDA's top leadership during the meeting that Deepak Prakash would be sent to the Legislative Council. It is reported that the Governor is due to nominate members in the coming months, and Deepak Prakash will be accommodated through this process. Responding to a question a day earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary had stated that Deepak Prakash is a minister and would continue to remain one. Citing the rules, he noted that one can serve as a minister for a certain period without being a member of either House. Samrat Chaudhary's statement clarifies that despite various speculations surrounding Deepak Prakash, the BJP high command has indeed endorsed his continuation as a minister.

Raju Tiwari, the legislative party leader of the NDA ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), also clearly stated that Upendra Kushwaha is a prominent leader. All is well within the alliance; there are no issues whatsoever. People should not pay heed to rumors; there is no resentment, and everything is proceeding smoothly. Whatever happens next will also be positive.

In fact, a day earlier, a press release began circulating on social media. Issued in the name of Dilip Jaiswal—the then-President of the Bihar BJP—it stated that the Rashtriya Lok Morcha would field candidates for six Assembly seats and be allocated one Legislative Council seat from the BJP's quota. However, Dilip Jaiswal, now a minister in the Bihar government, stated that he had no information regarding this matter. He noted that he is no longer the state president and is unaware of the recent discussions between the BJP leadership and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha remains fully committed to the NDA and will continue to be part of the alliance. He recalled that when Narendra Modi was the prime ministerial candidate in 2014, he was among the first to voice support for him. He urged people to ignore rumors, assuring them that everything would be fine. He remarked that making hasty statements in politics is unwise; therefore, people should wait and remain assured—everything is in order.

•           Rabri Devi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council, was not a member of either House when she first became the Chief Minister of Bihar. The decision to appoint her Chief Minister overnight was made after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad was sent to jail; she assumed office on July 25, 1997. She was subsequently sent to the Legislative Council. • Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary also held the office of minister for five months and 28 days without being a member of either House. He subsequently secured membership of the House within the stipulated timeframe. CM Samrat himself shared this information a day earlier.

•           When Health Minister Nishant Kumar took the oath of office on May 7, he was not a member of either House. However, on June 11, 2026, he was elected unopposed as a member of the Legislative Council. He served as a minister without membership for over a month before becoming a member of the House.

•           Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Deepak took the oath as Minister of Panchayati Raj on May 7, 2026. He is not a member of either House. He has held the ministerial post for 37 days so far. According to constitutional provisions, he must secure membership of either House by November 6, 2026; otherwise, he will have to step down from the ministerial post.

What does the constitutional rule say?

Senior journalist Pravin Baghi stated that Article 164(4) of the Indian Constitution allows a person to take the oath as Chief Minister or Minister even if they are not a member of the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council at the time. However, the condition is that they must become a member of either House within six months of the date of taking the oath. If they fail to secure membership within this six-month period... .then he automatically loses the right to remain in the office of Minister and has to step down.