Patna, March 14: Barring UPA-backed LJP candidate Shabir Ali, all four Rajya Sabha candidates today filed their nomination papers.

The candidates include JD(U) nominees Shivanand Tiwari and N.K. Singh, BJP candidate C.P. Thakur and RJD nominee Prem Gupta.

Tomorrow is the last day for the nomination.

The biennial elections for the Rajya Sabha would be held on March 26.

With them there was NDA-backed JD(U) candidate Ejaj Ali, who filed nominations for Bihar Legislative Council.

Following the Upper House nominations, eight of nine party candidates also filed nominations for Bihar Legislative Council seats.

JD(U) filed for four candidates, followed by two each from RJD and BJP and one from Indian National Congress for the Legislative Council.

If no other candidate files nomination by tomorrow, there would be no need for election as with the NDA set to get three Rajya Sabha candidates with 141 seats in Bihar Assembly, RJD is sure to win one seat.

Thus, Ejaj Ali seems set to clear the poll hurdle with the NDA enjoying a clear majority in the Bihar Assembly.

On the other hand, chief minister Nitish Kumar has made his approval clear of JD(U) candidates with its triumvirate of politician (Tiwari), bureaucrat (N.K. Singh) and surgeon in Ejaj Ali, son-in-law of former Bihar Assembly Speaker Gulam Sarwar.

Now that LJP has chosen Shabir Ali, it would not have backing of NDA’s surplus votes.

Ali, however, can still make it with UPA backing and possible support of some Independent legislators.

The only surprise in the selection was the omission of LJP leader and Lalu Yadav bete noire Ranjan Yadav.