RJD wins Jehanabad and Araria seats, BJP bags Bhabua
PATNA : RJD won Jehanabad Assembly seat and Araria Lok Sabha seat even as BJP bagged Bhabua seat during the Bihar by-polls, counting for which concluded on Wednesday. Counting took place for the by-polls to Araria Lok Sabha seat and Bhabua and Jehanabad Assembly constituencies in Bihar.The polling for the three seats was held on Sunday (March 11). As per the Election Commission, 57 percent polling was registered in Araria, while Bhabua and Jehanabad recorded a voter turnout of 54.03 percent and 50.06 percent respectively.
The ruling JD(U)-BJP combine and the opposition RJD-Congress alliance are locked in a high-stakes battle in Araria Lok Sabha seat and the two Assembly constituencies. This is the first electoral battle in the state since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who also heads the JD(U), walked out of the alliance with the RJD and the Congress and joined the BJP-led NDA last year.
The bypoll results are being seen as a referendum on Nitish as Lalu Prasad Yadav has been calling the CM’s move to ditch the Grand Alliance as backstabbing of the voters. It may be noted that the Grand Alliance of the JD(U), RJD and the Congress had defeated the BJP in 2015 Assembly Elections.
The bypolls are also being seen as a test for Tejashwi Yadav, who is currently at the helm of the RJD after his father and party chief Lalu Prasad was sent to jail in the fodder scam case.
Bihar’s BJP vice-president Devesh Kumar said, “The by-elections are driven by local factors and are no comment on the state affairs at the central level. Asked if BJP’s only victory today, of widow of former MLA, was based on sympathy, he said, “The results of the bypolls have been largely driven by sympathy.
For instance, in Araria, the ticket was allotted to Mohammed Taslimuddin’s son after his demise. The case is similar in Jehanabad and Bhabua. We have established a lead in four constituencies and the two where we have lost are Muslim-dominated. In 2014, we had lost elections in Araria by over 2 lakh votes, this time the margin has sunk very low. This has established that our social base has increased.”
