Revenge so sweet for RJD; BJP wins 1 seat in Bihar

New Delhi: The bypoll results for Bihar’s Araria Lok Sabha seat and the assembly constituencies of Jehanabad and Bhabua are seen as a wake-up call for the NDA camp, particularly chief minister Nitish Kumar and his JDU.

The results also show the emergence of RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav as a leader in his own right, in the absence of his father and party chief Lalu Prasad who is in jail. Tejashwi single-handedly managed his party’s campaign in the bypolls.

While BJP could win the Bhabua assembly seat, ally JDU was defeated by RJD in Jehanabad. The Araria Lok Sabha seat went to RJD. These were the first by-elections held in the state after Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA camp after splitting alliance with RJD and Congress.


There is a strong possibility of cracks developing in JDU’s support base among the most backward castes as well as Mahadalits, said observers. “If it is so, then the JDU has reasons to worry,” a party source said.