Bihar: JD(U) Candidate Falls Behind in Tirhut Graduate MLC By-Elections
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Patna, Dec 9 (NationPress) The ongoing counting of the Tirhut Graduate MLC by-election has brought unexpected developments, as JD(U) candidate Abhishek Kumar Jha finds himself trailing in fourth place after two rounds of counting.
The preliminary results indicate a significant setback for the NDA, which had actively campaigned for this seat.
Leading the race is independent candidate Banshidhar Brajwasi, a teacher by profession, who secured 3,133 votes in the first round and has successfully maintained his lead into the second round.
His total vote count is nearly double that of his nearest competitor, demonstrating considerable support from the graduate electorate. Vinayak Gautam of the Jan Suraj Party is in second place with 1,610 votes, while Gopi Kishan of RJD holds third place with 1,234 votes. JD(U)'s Abhishek Kumar Jha trails with 1,184 votes, a surprising outcome considering he was anticipated to be the frontrunner.
The overall voter turnout was approximately 75,000, with around 4,000 invalidated votes. The strong lead of the independent candidate suggests a level of dissatisfaction with traditional political parties.
By Monday evening, 20,000 first-preference votes had been counted, with six additional rounds remaining. Given that about 10,000 votes are counted per round, the final result is expected by Tuesday.
This seat became vacant after the election of JD(U)'s Deveshchandra Thakur to the Lok Sabha.
With six more rounds of counting pending, the results may still shift, but the decisive lead of Bansidhar Brajwasi places him in a strong position to secure this seat. The outcome will serve as an essential political indicator, particularly concerning the NDA's status in Bihar's graduate constituencies.
The by-election for the Tirhut Graduate MLC seat was conducted on December 5, witnessing a voter turnout of 47.50 percent. Voting took place across 89 polling centers and 106 sub-polling centers.
A total of 154,828 graduate voters from Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Sitamarhi, and Sheohar districts were eligible to participate, comprising 107,401 male and 47,419 female voters, whose votes will determine the fate of 18 candidates.
