Bihar MLC Polls: RJD Wrests Darbhanga Graduates’ Constituency From BJP In Major Political Setback

Patna: RJD won the Darbhanga Graduates’ constituency in the Bihar Legislative Council elections, with its candidate Anil Kumar Jha defeating BJP nominee Sarvesh Kumar by 450 votes after nearly 60 hours of counting and second-preference vote counting.

The counting, which began on Wednesday morning, continued until late Thursday evening. BJP candidate Sarvesh Kumar initially held the lead, raising hopes in the NDA camp, but the outcome changed after multiple rounds of preference-based counting and elimination.

The election was a close contest between BJP and RJD. Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) candidate Mohammad Imtiaz Noorani also secured a substantial number of first-preference votes.

BJP Led In Initial Rounds

BJP candidate Kumar led with 16,115 votes after the 10th round, compared to 14,615 votes polled by Jha, giving the BJP candidate a 1,500-vote lead. Noorani was in the contest with 10,227 votes.

However, none of the candidates secured the required quota of 31,911 votes through first-preference counting, necessitating the counting of second-preference votes and subsequent elimination rounds.

Under the preferential voting system, candidates with the lowest vote counts were eliminated successively, and ballots were transferred according to the next preferences marked by voters. The process gradually altered the electoral calculations, eventually giving Jha the victory despite Sarvesh Kumar’s initial lead.

Dispute At Darbhanga Counting Centre

The counting process was also marked by a dispute over ballot validity at the Darbhanga counting centre. A verbal altercation broke out between RJD and BJP counting agents.

Police said five people, including two RJD agents and three BJP agents, were taken into custody following the commotion. They maintained that the incident did not disrupt the counting process.

Jha Calls Result People's Victory

After his victory, Jha described the result as a victory of “people’s strength” over “money power”.

“This election was a contest between people’s strength and money power. An ordinary party worker from a modest economic background was contesting against people whose resources were beyond comparison. My victory sends a big message that even an ordinary worker can win an election with people’s blessings and support,” he added.

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RJD Secures Two Council Seats

With this victory, the RJD has won two seats. Other constituents of the Mahagathbandhan failed to win any seats, as the sitting Congress and CPI MLCs lost their seats. From the NDA, BJP also won two seats, while JD(U) and Jan Suraaj won one seat each. Two Independents also won their seats. Four seats each from the Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies went to the polls.