BJP retains Gopalganj, puts up a good show in Mokama

PATNA: The BJP on Sunday not only retained Gopalganj assembly seat, despite spirited campaigning by deputy CM Tejashwsi Prasad Yadav and other top leaders of the seven-party ruling Mahagathbandhan, but also improved its performance in the high-profile Mokama seat which RJD retained.
The Bihar bypoll results have come as a "warning signal" for the recently revived Mahagathbandhan, which was expected to perform better with the state's longest serving chief minister Nitish Kumar on its side.

The bypolls were the first test of strength between BJP and Nitish-led Mahagathbandhan since the JD(U) leader dumped the saffron party and rejoined hands with Lalu Prasad's RJD and formed a new government with Tejashwi as his deputy in August this year.
BJP's Kusum Devi, the widow of former minister and four-time MLA Subhash Singh, whose death had necessitated the byelection in Goplaganj, polled 70,053 votes (41.6%), while RJD's Mohan Prasad Gupta got 68,259 (40.5%). Kusum won the seat by a margin of over 1,700 votes.