Lalu Prasad Yadav concedes defeat in Bihar Legislative Council polls

PATNA: With results of six more seats to be declared, RJD president Lalu Prasad today conceded defeat in the crucial Bihar Legislative Council poll but said the result would not have any impact on the assembly elections scheduled later this year.

"The results have not been as good as they should have been. I am not going to elaborate on what kind of tactics our opposition parties employed and how people were forced, compelled to vote for them. We accept the mandate," Prasad told PTI.

Asserting that the results will not have any effect on the assembly elections, he said the council poll do not have any involvement of the masses and hence it cannot be compared to the assembly election.

"The masses were not involved in the council election. The voters were members of local bodies like mukhiyas and councillors. Hence the result will not have any impact in the assembly elections in which the masses will vote," he said.

Prasad, who had maintained throughout that the 'secular' alliance would sweep the Council polls, said division of votes among the 'secular' alliance partners could have been a factor behind losing some of the seats which his party had contested.

"We lost some seats like Siwan, Gopalganj and Saran with narrow margin. Division of our votes could have been a factor behind losing at these places," he said.

Of the results of 18 seats declared so far 10 have been won by BJP, 4 by JD(U), 2 by RJD and two by Independents, including expelled RJD 'muscleman' Ritlal Yadav.

This is a far cry from the result to the 24 seats last time when JD(U), RJD and Congress had won 19 of them and BJP just five.

Polling in the 24 council seats is being seen as a 'semi final' to the assembly polls scheduled for later this year.

The 'secular' combine of JD(U) and RJD had contested 10 seats each while Congress had put up candidates in three and NCP in one. BJP had contested in 18 seats and given four and two seats to its NDA partners LJP and RLSP respectively.