Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) candidate Sonu Kumar Rai won the by-election for the Bihar Legislative Council’s Bhojpur-cum-Buxar Local Authorities constituency seat, defeating JD(U) candidate Kanhaiya Prasad by 340 votes.
The by-election was necessitated after the seat fell vacant following Radhacharan Seth’s election to the Bihar Legislative Assembly. JD(U) had fielded Kanhaiya Prasad, son of Radhacharan Seth, as its candidate.
The by-election recorded an impressive 97.96 per cent voter turnout. Of the total 6,086 voters, 2,832 were men and 3,254 were women.
According to election officials, Sonu Rai secured 2,486 votes, while Kanhaiya Prasad received 2,146 votes. Independent candidate and rebel JD(U) leader Manoj Upadhyay polled 636 votes. Political observers believe Upadhyay’s entry into the fray adversely affected the NDA candidate’s chances.
Following the victory, Sonu Kumar Rai has emerged as a prominent face in Bihar politics. The result is also viewed as the first major electoral setback for the NDA after Samrat Choudhary became Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Tejashwi Yadav described the election as a contest between the EVM and the ballot paper.
“We have been saying from the beginning that if elections in the country and the state were conducted through ballot papers instead of machines (EVMs), the BJP-NDA would not survive anywhere. In the Bihar Assembly elections, we won more than 150 seats through postal ballot papers, but were defeated through manipulation, conspiracy and deceit,” he said.
“Nowadays, election results are announced as late as 1-2 A.M. on counting day. Earlier, counting ballot papers also used to take just as much time. So, why not conduct elections through ballot papers instead of EVMs in order to maintain democratic transparency and public trust in democracy,” asked the RJD leader.