JD(U) win in Fatuah adds insult to RJD-LJP injury

PATNA: Bad run continues for the RJD-LJP combine. After facing the drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, the combine was inflicted another blow in the by-election to the Fatuah (SC) assembly seat.

JD(U) nominee Arun Manjhi got the better of RJD-backed LJP candidate Puneet Rai trouncing him by a margin of over 10,000 votes. Interestingly, all the other candidates, including that of Congress, had to forfeit their deposits.

Coming in quick succession after the Lok Sabha elections, the Fatuah by-poll was seen as a big opportunity for both the alliance partners of LJP and RJD to salvage some pride by scripting a victory from here.

The fact that a 'wounded' Lalu was desperately looking for a win from Fatuah can be judged from the fact that he extensively campaigned for the LJP nominee. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan too actively showed up in the constituency sparing no effort to wrest the seat from the ruling JD(U).

"For 15 long years Laluji befooled people. You can't fool all the people all the time. It was, therefore, not surprising for the people to rally behind the NDA which won 32 out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Again, the win in Fatuah was very much on the expected lines. As for Laluji, he has been ousted both from the state and the Centre," JD(U) national spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari told ET.

The RJD leadership is, however, not impressed with the JD(U) win in Fatuah. "Fatuah seat belonged to JD(U). It has only managed to retain the seat. So to say that it is another defeat for the LJP-RJD combine will not be fair. It is true the mandate was not with us in the LS elections. It will take time before RJD gets back to winning ways," said senior RJD leader and former MP Ram Kripal Yadav.