Patna, Nov 4 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday said that the bypolls for the Tirhut Graduate MLC Constituency will be held on December 5 while the counting will take place on December 9.

As per the notification of the election commission, nominations will start on November 18 and scrutiny of nominations will be done on November 19 while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is November 21.

The Tirhut Graduate MLC seat became vacant after JDU leader Deveshchandra Thakur was elected as a Member of Parliament from Sitamarhi in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.

Thakur previously served as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from this seat representing the Janata Dal (United) (JDU), associated with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The election will be closely watched as both JD-U and opposition parties seek to secure representation in the Legislative Council, especially with the seat previously held by JD-U.

In the upcoming Tirhut Graduate MLC by-election, there is a direct contest between the JD-U and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The JD-U, as part of the NDA alliance, has fielded Abhishek Kumar Jha as its joint candidate, while the RJD has put forward Gopi Kishan as its official candidate.

Both parties are making significant efforts to mobilise their support bases and are confident of securing the seat.

This by-election has gained considerable attention, with both JD-U and RJD eager to strengthen their presence in the Legislative Council.

The Tirhut Graduate Constituency, which represents graduate voters in the region, is seen as strategically important, and the contest between NDA-backed JD-U and RJD could be indicative of the broader political climate in Bihar leading up to future elections.

Both parties have intensified their campaigns and are actively engaging with graduate voters to ensure a strong turnout.

/IANS