Latest update: As RJD claimed victory over the Jehanabad seat, and maintained a lead in Araria after the 22nd round of counting, Tejashwi Yadav thanks the voters and in Bihar. BJP's Rinki Pandey has won Bhabhua seat with 15,490 votes. Meanwhile, BJP candidate for Araria LS seat Pradeep Kumar Singh left the counting centre along with party workers in anticipation of defeat.
Reacting to early trends, Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti had said that the trends have announced the "end of Nitish Kumar's politics."
The RJD is leading in Araria by 23,187 votes. BJP is currently leading in Bhabua by 2,528 votes. On the other hand, RJD is leading in Jehanabad by 8,899 votes.
Counting of votes for Araria Lok Sabha seat along with Bhabua and Jehanabad Assembly constituencies will be held on Wednesday. The polling was held on Sunday for all three seats.
This is the first electoral battle in the Bihar since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who also heads the JD(U), walked out of the alliance with the RJD and the Congress and joined the BJP-led NDA last year. While the bypoll in Araria is being viewed as a test for the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine as well as the Opposition RJD-Congress alliance ahead of the big battle in the general elections due next year, the parties are looking forward to winning the Assembly seats ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha polls.
In Jehanabad, the RJD hopes to retain the Assembly seat that fell vacant after the death of Mundrika Yadav. The party gave a ticket to Yadav's son Kumar Krishna Mohan. The BJP is hopeful of retaining the Bhabua Assembly seat riding on a sympathy wave for Anand Bhushan Pandey, whose death at the age of 48, necessitated the bypoll. The saffron party fielded Pandey's wife Rinky Rani.
The contest in Araria is mainly between RJD's Sarafaraz Alam, Taslimuddin's son, and BJP's Pradip Singh, who had won the seat in 2009 and finished runner-up in 2014.
The current bypoll equations are also likely to reflect in the seat-sharing between the BJP and the JD(U) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Fifty-seven percent votes were recorded in Araria while the voter turnout was 54.03 percent and 50.06 percent in Jehanabad and Bhabhua respectively. The polling was by and large peaceful, the election official said.
With inputs from agencies
Published Date: Mar 14, 2018 17:38 PM | Updated Date: Mar 14, 2018 17:53 PM
Highlights
Tejashwi Yadav for Grand Alliance to defeat BJP at national level
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday called for a Grand Alliance at the national level to defeat the BJP and said there was a need for opposition leaders to shed their ego.
"A Grand Alliance is the demand of time, it is the demand of the people. Keep your ego away," Yadav said as the BJP lost the Lok Sabha seats of Phulpur and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and Araria in Bihar.
He said the Samajwadi Party and the BSP should fight the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together and urged the Congress to join them. "There is a need to teach a lesson to those who have destroyed the country," Yadav said.
IANS
Tejashwi 'doubts' if crackdown against Opposition leaders in Bihar will intensify after RJD's win in bypolls
"BJP is not acting against its own leaders as the Bihar deputy chief minister (Sushil Kumar Modi) is himself named in so many corruptions scandals and cases. I doubt now that after our win (or BJP's defeat), Modi and Amit Shah's ED and CBI will further intensify their crackdown against Opposition leaders," RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said.
Tejashwi Yadav hails RJD's performance in Bihar, calls it victory of Lalu Prasad's ideology
"We thank the people of Bihar. This victory is the victory of Lalu's ideology. People have given a befitting reply to opportunistic parties," RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told reporters after RJD candidate Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav defeated Abhiram Sharma (JDU) in Jehanabad bypoll.
RJD workers take celebrations to the streets after their party's win in Jehanabad
Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav defeated Abhiram Sharma (JDU) in the nail-biting election.
Input by Razi Anwar/101Reporters
BJP's Rinki Rani Pandey wins Bhabhua seat with 15,490 votes
Input by Indrajeet Singh/101Reporters
RJD wins Jehanabad bypoll
RJD leads in 2 seats, BJP in one
The RJD established leads in Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad Assembly constituency while the BJP was leading in Bhabhua Assembly seat in bypolls in Bihar.
According to election office sources, a total of 28 rounds of counting will take place for results of Araria Lok Sabha seat bypoll necessitated due to demise of RJD MP Mohammad Taslimuddin. Alam, who crossed over from JD(U) to Lalu Prasad's party RJD to contest the bypoll, is son of Taslimuddin.
There were reports of police resorting to mild use of force outside the counting centre in Jehanabad as young RJD supporters indulged in boisterous jubilations over the news of their candidate Suday Yadav establishing an unassailable lead over former MLA and JD(U) nominee Abhiram Sharma.
PTI
CPI's Irfan Ahmad Faatmi says Bihar bypoll results will impact 2019 Lok Sabha elections
Commenting on emerging trends in by-elections happening in Bihar, CPI state working committee member Irfan Ahmad Faatmi said these results will impact the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Voters in these constituencies have proved that they had favored Nitish Kumar in Assembly elections to stop BJP from coming to power, Ahmad said, adding that the chief minister had pressed his ministers and MLAs to campaign in Jehanabad by-election, but the voters have given a befitting reply to him.
Ahmad said the trend in Araria is also an answer to BJP state president Nityanand Rai's comment that Sarfaraz's victory will turn Araria into a hub of ISI and Pradip's victory will turn into a citadel of nationalists. "People have rejected BJP's hate politics," he said. CPI had not fielded candidates offering support to RJD-Congress coalition in by-election.
Input from Vidya Sagar/101Reporters
NDA paying price for underestimating former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, says Hindustani Awam Morcha
Hindustani Awam Morcha's National spokesperson, E Ajay Yadav, reacting to the results of the Bihar by-elections, said that the NDA was paying the price for underestimating their party and its leader, the former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has a great hold on Jahanabad. "But NDA has chosen to ignore this and the result of that is in front of us today. If they had chosen Jitan Ram Manjhi as their candidate, it would have been a different day. The poor, Dalit communities consider him their leader. His joining the Mahagatbandhan has made the alliance stronger in the region. Not just in Bihar, now even the UPA will come back strong across the country. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar's countdown has begun."
Input by Vidya Sagar/101Reporters
BJP leading in Bhabua with 40,501 votes
Nitish Kumar chairs meet with senior leaders: Times Now
RJD leading in Araria by 23,187 votes: ANI
RJD, with 1,95,527 votes, leads by 455 votes in Araria; BJP trails with 1,95,072 votes: ANI
Tight race in Araria
After 11 rounds of counting, the race is tight with RJD in the lead with 59,259 votes and BJP trailing with 57,850 votes. Sarfaraz Alam just overtook his BJP opponent who had been in the lead since the morning.
Input by Razi Anwar/101Reporters
BJP leads in Bhabua by 2,528 votes; RJD leads in Jehanabad by 8,899 votes: ANI
BJP leading by over 2,500 votes in Bhabua
Rinki Rani Pandey of the BJP is ahead by 2,500 votes in Bhabua. The Congress' Shambhu Singh Patel, who was offered the seat in the last minute after the RJD backed out, is in second place.
— Input by Umesh Keshar/101Reporters
Rinki Pandey of BJP builds up lead in Bhabua
After three rounds of counting, Rinki Rani Pandey of BJP is leading by 2,597 votes in Bhabua, while Shambhu Singh Patel of the Congress is in second place with 6105 votes. Rinki is the widowed wife of Anand Pandey, the former elected MLA of the constituency. The bypoll was necessitated following his death.
BJP leads in Bhabua, RJD in Jehanabad
RJD leading in Jehanabad
EC officials oversee counting in Janahabad where Kuman Krishna Mohan (RJD) is in the lead. Trailing behind him by 1340 votes is Abhiram Sharma (JD-U).
Input by Vidya Sagar/101Reporters
BJP leading in Bhabua: Reports
People in Araria will vote for BJP's promise of development: Pradip Singh
Input by Ganesh Prasad, 101 Reporters
RJD leads in Araria, Jehanabad: CNN-News18
All 17 candidates in Araria inside counting centre
Input by Ajay Singh, 101 Reporters
Seven candidates contesting Araria bypoll
In Araria parliamentary constituency, seven candidates are in the fray. Former BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh is seeking to regain the seat from the RJD which has fielded Sarfaraz Alam, the death of whose father Mohammed Taslimuddin has necessitated the bypoll.
Visuals of counting centre where counting of Araria Lok Sabha bypoll will begin at 8 am
17:53 (IST)
Watch: RJD's Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav accepts certificate of victory in Jehanabad by-election
Input by Ganesh Prasad/101reporters
17:51 (IST)
Watch: RJD workers celebrate as party appears set to win Araria bypoll
With Sarfaraz Alam (RJD) firmly in the lead, RJD supporters have brought out the colours and the revelry. Police have been trying to keep the celebrations calm.
Input by Ganesh Prasad/101Reporters
17:47 (IST)
Tejashwi Yadav for Grand Alliance to defeat BJP at national level
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday called for a Grand Alliance at the national level to defeat the BJP and said there was a need for opposition leaders to shed their ego.
"A Grand Alliance is the demand of time, it is the demand of the people. Keep your ego away," Yadav said as the BJP lost the Lok Sabha seats of Phulpur and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and Araria in Bihar.
He said the Samajwadi Party and the BSP should fight the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together and urged the Congress to join them. "There is a need to teach a lesson to those who have destroyed the country," Yadav said.
IANS
17:42 (IST)
Visuals from Patna of RJD workers celebrating party's performance in Bihar bypolls
17:26 (IST)
Watch: Anticipating defeat, BJP candidate in Araria LS seat Pradeep Kumar Singh leaves counting centre with party workers
Input by Ganesh Prasad/101reporters
17:11 (IST)
Bihar BJP chief claims state has given 'sympathy vote' this time
17:09 (IST)
Tejashwi 'doubts' if crackdown against Opposition leaders in Bihar will intensify after RJD's win in bypolls
"BJP is not acting against its own leaders as the Bihar deputy chief minister (Sushil Kumar Modi) is himself named in so many corruptions scandals and cases. I doubt now that after our win (or BJP's defeat), Modi and Amit Shah's ED and CBI will further intensify their crackdown against Opposition leaders," RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said.
16:51 (IST)
Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi says BJP must improve to avoid defeat in 2019 LS polls
16:41 (IST)
RJD maintains lead in Araria in 22nd round of counting
16:40 (IST)
Tejashwi Yadav hails RJD's performance in Bihar, calls it victory of Lalu Prasad's ideology
"We thank the people of Bihar. This victory is the victory of Lalu's ideology. People have given a befitting reply to opportunistic parties," RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told reporters after RJD candidate Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav defeated Abhiram Sharma (JDU) in Jehanabad bypoll.
16:16 (IST)
RJD workers take celebrations to the streets after their party's win in Jehanabad
Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav defeated Abhiram Sharma (JDU) in the nail-biting election.
Input by Razi Anwar/101Reporters
16:07 (IST)
Bhabua's new MLA Rinki Rani Pandey (BJP) at counting hall
Image courtesy: Vidya Sagar/101Reporters
15:43 (IST)
BJP's Rinki Rani Pandey wins Bhabhua seat with 15,490 votes
Input by Indrajeet Singh/101Reporters
15:42 (IST)
RJD wins Jehanabad bypoll
15:03 (IST)
Mamata Banerjee wishes Lalu Prasad for 'victory' ahead of final round of counting
15:00 (IST)
RJD leads in 2 seats, BJP in one
The RJD established leads in Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad Assembly constituency while the BJP was leading in Bhabhua Assembly seat in bypolls in Bihar.
According to election office sources, a total of 28 rounds of counting will take place for results of Araria Lok Sabha seat bypoll necessitated due to demise of RJD MP Mohammad Taslimuddin. Alam, who crossed over from JD(U) to Lalu Prasad's party RJD to contest the bypoll, is son of Taslimuddin.
There were reports of police resorting to mild use of force outside the counting centre in Jehanabad as young RJD supporters indulged in boisterous jubilations over the news of their candidate Suday Yadav establishing an unassailable lead over former MLA and JD(U) nominee Abhiram Sharma.
PTI
14:47 (IST)
RJD's Misa Bharti says current trends in Bihar bypolls have announced end of Nitish Kumar's politics
14:45 (IST)
CPI's Irfan Ahmad Faatmi says Bihar bypoll results will impact 2019 Lok Sabha elections
Commenting on emerging trends in by-elections happening in Bihar, CPI state working committee member Irfan Ahmad Faatmi said these results will impact the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Voters in these constituencies have proved that they had favored Nitish Kumar in Assembly elections to stop BJP from coming to power, Ahmad said, adding that the chief minister had pressed his ministers and MLAs to campaign in Jehanabad by-election, but the voters have given a befitting reply to him.
Ahmad said the trend in Araria is also an answer to BJP state president Nityanand Rai's comment that Sarfaraz's victory will turn Araria into a hub of ISI and Pradip's victory will turn into a citadel of nationalists. "People have rejected BJP's hate politics," he said. CPI had not fielded candidates offering support to RJD-Congress coalition in by-election.
Input from Vidya Sagar/101Reporters
14:42 (IST)
NDA paying price for underestimating former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, says Hindustani Awam Morcha
Hindustani Awam Morcha's National spokesperson, E Ajay Yadav, reacting to the results of the Bihar by-elections, said that the NDA was paying the price for underestimating their party and its leader, the former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has a great hold on Jahanabad. "But NDA has chosen to ignore this and the result of that is in front of us today. If they had chosen Jitan Ram Manjhi as their candidate, it would have been a different day. The poor, Dalit communities consider him their leader. His joining the Mahagatbandhan has made the alliance stronger in the region. Not just in Bihar, now even the UPA will come back strong across the country. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar's countdown has begun."
Input by Vidya Sagar/101Reporters
14:32 (IST)
Tejashwi Yadav's earlier claim over release of incorrect results for Araria
13:55 (IST)
BJP leading in Bhabua with 40,501 votes
13:52 (IST)
Nitish Kumar chairs meet with senior leaders: Times Now
13:50 (IST)
RJD leading in Araria by 23,187 votes: ANI
12:38 (IST)
BJP leads in Bhabua with 23,640 votes; RJD leads in Jehanabad with 32,554 votes: ANI
12:35 (IST)
RJD, with 1,95,527 votes, leads by 455 votes in Araria; BJP trails with 1,95,072 votes: ANI
12:07 (IST)
BJP leading in Bhabua
12:02 (IST)
Tight race in Araria
After 11 rounds of counting, the race is tight with RJD in the lead with 59,259 votes and BJP trailing with 57,850 votes. Sarfaraz Alam just overtook his BJP opponent who had been in the lead since the morning.
Input by Razi Anwar/101Reporters
11:35 (IST)
BJP leads in Bhabua by 2,528 votes; RJD leads in Jehanabad by 8,899 votes: ANI
11:25 (IST)
Abhiram Sharma leaves counting centre
The JD(U) candidate is trailing in Jehanabad. Input by Ganesh Prasad/101 Reporters
10:52 (IST)
BJP leading by over 2,500 votes in Bhabua
Rinki Rani Pandey of the BJP is ahead by 2,500 votes in Bhabua. The Congress' Shambhu Singh Patel, who was offered the seat in the last minute after the RJD backed out, is in second place.
— Input by Umesh Keshar/101Reporters
10:50 (IST)
RJD leads in Jehanabad
RJD's Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav is in the lead at Jehanabad constituency, ahead of the JD(U). Mohan is the son of the previous sitting MLA, the RJD's Mundrika Yadav.
— Ganesh Prasad/101 Reporters
10:44 (IST)
Rinki Pandey of BJP builds up lead in Bhabua
After three rounds of counting, Rinki Rani Pandey of BJP is leading by 2,597 votes in Bhabua, while Shambhu Singh Patel of the Congress is in second place with 6105 votes. Rinki is the widowed wife of Anand Pandey, the former elected MLA of the constituency. The bypoll was necessitated following his death.
10:29 (IST)
BJP leads in Bhabua, RJD in Jehanabad
10:26 (IST)
BJP leads in Araria after one round
In Araria, BJP's Pradeep Kumar Singh is in the lead after one round of counting. Trailing behind him is Sarfaraz Alam of the RJD, whose late father Taslimuddin was the sitting MP from the constituency.
— Input by Ganesh Prasad
09:58 (IST)
RJD leading in Jehanabad
EC officials oversee counting in Janahabad where Kuman Krishna Mohan (RJD) is in the lead. Trailing behind him by 1340 votes is Abhiram Sharma (JD-U).
Input by Vidya Sagar/101Reporters
09:37 (IST)
Security personnel at a counting centre in Jehanabad
RJD's hold of the Assembly seat is being put to test. Here, Uday Yadav (RJD) is in a direct battle with Abhiram Sharma of the JD(U).
Input by Vidya Sagar/101Reporters
09:12 (IST)
Counting of votes in Araria continues
09:11 (IST)
BJP leading in Bhabua: Reports
09:06 (IST)
People in Araria will vote for BJP's promise of development: Pradip Singh
Input by Ganesh Prasad, 101 Reporters
08:55 (IST)
Security arrangements at Araria counting centre
Input by Ganesh Prasad, 101 Reporters
08:51 (IST)
RJD leads in Araria, Jehanabad: CNN-News18
08:41 (IST)
All 17 candidates in Araria inside counting centre
Input by Ajay Singh, 101 Reporters
08:40 (IST)
Visuals from Araria counting centre
Input by Ganesh Prasad, 101 Reporters
07:44 (IST)
RJD election campaign headed by Tejaswi Yadav
This is the first time that RJD’s election campaign was headed by Tejaswi Yadav as his father and former Bihar CM has been jailed in fodder scam.
07:37 (IST)
Seven candidates contesting Araria bypoll
In Araria parliamentary constituency, seven candidates are in the fray. Former BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh is seeking to regain the seat from the RJD which has fielded Sarfaraz Alam, the death of whose father Mohammed Taslimuddin has necessitated the bypoll.
07:33 (IST)
Visuals of counting centre where counting of Araria Lok Sabha bypoll will begin at 8 am
07:09 (IST)
Victory for RJD in Araria will turn Bihar into safe haven for ISIS: Bihar BJP chief
"If Sarfaraz (RJD candidate) wins this election, Araria will become a safe haven for the ISIS (the global Islamic terror group). The victory of our candidate Pradip Singh will, on the other hand, give rise to patriotic fervour," NDTV quoted Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai as saying.
A police case has been filed against Rai.