Patna, March 11 (AHN) The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which claimed it would win all five Rajya Sabha seats, may face a challenge after a crucial meeting between Akhtarul Iman and Tejashwi Yadav in Patna.

The meeting was held at Tejashwi Yadav’s residence on Wednesday afternoon.​

Breaking his silence after the closed-door discussions, Tejashwi Yadav said the meeting was positive.​

He also revealed that he had received an invitation to an Iftar gathering on March 15.​

“The invitation is accepted, and we will win the election,” Yadav said.​

After the meeting, Iman also said the discussions were positive and that cooperation between the two parties would be in Bihar's interest.​

When asked about supporting the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections, he said that the talks had been encouraging and that a final decision would be taken after consulting AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.​

The NDA has fielded candidates for all five seats.​

These include Nitish Kumar (JDU), Ram Nath Thakur (JDU), Nitin Nabin (BJP), Shivesh Kumar (BJP), and Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.​

Meanwhile, the opposition led by Tejashwi Yadav has fielded senior RJD leader A. D. Singh as its candidate.​

The result of the Rajya Sabha election will depend on the strength of parties in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.​

A candidate requires the support of 41 MLAs to secure victory.​

The NDA has enough numbers to win four seats, but is said to be short by about three MLAs for the fifth seat.​

The opposition bloc currently has 35 MLAs, including 25 from RJD, 6 from the Indian National Congress, 3 from Left parties, and 1 from the Indian Peoples Party.​

If AIMIM’s five MLAs and one MLA from the Bahujan Samaj Party extend support to the opposition, the total could reach the required 41 votes.​

Political observers believe that such support would make the contest for the fifth Rajya Sabha seat highly competitive and significantly improve the chances of RJD candidate A.D. Singh's victory.​

The final outcome will become clear after voting on March 16, but the meeting between Akhtarul Iman and Tejashwi Yadav has already added a new twist to the political battle for the Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar.​