Is Tejashwi Yadav Falling Behind in Bihar's Raghopur Constituency?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Tejashwi Yadav is currently trailing in his constituency.
- BJP's Satish Kumar Yadav leads with over 17,500 votes.
- Raghopur has historically been an RJD stronghold.
- The counting began at 8 a.m. with significant security measures.
- The NDA coalition is currently ahead in the majority of seats.
Patna, Nov 14 (NationPress) Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the RJD and the face of the Mahagathbandhan for Chief Minister, is currently trailing in the Lalu family's traditional stronghold, the Raghopur Assembly constituency. The latest updates from the Election Commission of India (ECI) show BJP's Satish Kumar leading with a margin of over 17,500 votes.
The sitting RJD MLA, Tejashwi Yadav, has previously won in both the 2015 and 2020 elections and is determined to retain his seat amidst fierce competition from Satish Kumar Yadav of the BJP and Chanchal Kumar from JanSuraj.
Raghopur has long been a bastion for the RJD, with Tejashwi's father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the party's founder, and his mother, Rabri Devi, both having represented this constituency. Tejashwi has held this seat since 2015, having won the last election by a significant lead of over 38,000 votes.
In this election cycle, the BJP has put forward Satish Kumar Yadav as their candidate for Raghopur, who previously defeated Rabri Devi in the 2010 elections while representing the JD(U).
Additionally, Prem Kumar from the Janshakti Janata Dal, a party founded by Tejashwi's estranged brother Tej Pratap Yadav, is also in the fray opposing Tejashwi.
As of 11:15 a.m., the ECI reported that the JD(U) was leading in 79 constituencies while the BJP was ahead in 83, making their coalition, the NDA, lead in a total of 188 seats, leaving the Mahagathbandhan trailing with only 44 seats.
The counting for all 243 Assembly seats began at 8 a.m., starting with postal ballot verification, followed by Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes from 8:30 a.m. This process is being conducted under strict multi-tier security across the state.
Representatives from both political alliances are optimistic about their prospects. NDA leaders claim that the voters of Bihar have shown confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the developmental initiatives of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The Mahagathbandhan, spearheaded by the RJD, asserted that Bihar has chosen to vote for change and expressed hope that Tejashwi Yadav will lead the next government.
In a statement to IANS earlier, Tejashwi expressed his confidence, stating, "Change will happen, a government will be formed," as the counting progressed, showcasing his belief in the electoral outcome.