RJD ahead in Maharajganj bypoll, Lalu Prasad says beginning of Nitish Kumar's fall

CHAPRA ( BIHAR): Lalu Prasad's RJD is surging ahead in the Maharajganj Lok Sabha bypoll with its candidate Prabhunath Singh leading by over 27,000 votes over his JD(U) rival at the end of the fourth round of counting.

Congress nominee Jitendra Swami is way behind. After the fourth round, Prabhunath Singh was polled 85,455 votes, JD(U)'s P K Shahi bagged 57,629 votes and Congress' Jitendra Swami managed only 9058 votes.

The bypoll was necessitated after the death of Umashankar Singh, an RJD MP and father of Congress candidate Jitendra Swami.

According to sources in the Election office, 18 rounds of counting will be done before announcing the result.

An upbeat Lalu Prasad, RJD President, who worked hard for his party candidate by staying in the constituency for the last 10 days, told reporters in Patna that the Maharajganj bypoll result would trigger the beginning of fall of the Nitish Kumar government.

"It will not be a defeat of Shahi but a defeat of Nitish Kumar in Maharajganj," he said.

Lalu said the Maharajganj poll outcome would be an indication of things to come in the 2014 general election for 40 seats in Bihar.

As trends poured in, the JD-U candidate returned from the counting centre after congratulating Singh. (BIHAR): Lalu Prasad's RJD is surging ahead in the Maharajganj Lok Sabha bypoll with its candidate Prabhunath Singh leading by over 27,000 votes over his JD(U) rival at the end of the fourth round of counting.

Congress nominee Jitendra Swami is way behind. After the fourth round, Prabhunath Singh was polled 85,455 votes, JD(U)'s P K Shahi bagged 57,629 votes and Congress' Jitendra Swami managed only 9058 votes.

The bypoll was necessitated after the death of Umashankar Singh, an RJD MP and father of Congress candidate Jitendra Swami.

According to sources in the Election office, 18 rounds of counting will be done before announcing the result.

An upbeat Lalu Prasad, RJD President, who worked hard for his party candidate by staying in the constituency for the last 10 days, told reporters in Patna that the Maharajganj bypoll result would trigger the beginning of fall of the Nitish Kumar government.

"It will not be a defeat of Shahi but a defeat of Nitish Kumar in Maharajganj," he said.

Lalu said the Maharajganj poll outcome would be an indication of things to come in the 2014 general election for 40 seats in Bihar.

As trends poured in, the JD-U candidate returned from the counting centre after congratulating Singh.