Bihar MLC polls: RJD wrests Patna Teachers’ seat from BJP; Prashant Kishor's party wins in Darbhanga

As results for some seats in the Bihar MLC elections were declared on Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) and an Independent candidate each won one Teachers’ constituency.

The biggest upset for the BJP was losing the Patna Teachers’ seat, where its veteran MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav was defeated by the RJD’s Dr Sanjeev Kumar. However, the BJP's Narendra Prasad Singh won the Tirhut Teachers’ seat. Follow live updates here.

Political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) also got a boost in Darbhanga as Suresh Prasad Rai defeated sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha. BJP rebel Rahul Raj, contesting as an Independent, defeated JD(U) candidate Anand Pushkar to win the Saran Teachers’ constituency.

Poll results so far have showed a fragmented mandate, with four Teachers' seats won by four different formations.

Meanwhile. NDA candidates led in three of the four Graduates’ constituencies as counting continued on Wednesday.

NDA leads in 3 Graduates’ seats

Counting of paper ballots was underway for the Graduates’ constituencies of Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi. As per 9am trends, JD(U)’s Neeraj Kumar is leading comfortably in Patna, while the BJP’s Sarvesh Kumar and Dr Narendra Kumar Yadav are ahead in Darbhanga and Kosi, respectively. Independent candidate Banshidhar Brajvasi is leading in Tirhut.

The Patna Graduates’ contest remained a major political flashpoint for the JD(U). Neeraj Kumar, a senior party leader and sitting MLC seeking a fourth consecutive term, was ahead of RJD candidate Dilip Kumar, with JSP’s Dr Anuj Singh in third place.

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The contest was marked by open dissent within the JD(U), with Mokama MLA Anant Kumar Singh campaigning against Neeraj Kumar and backing Anuj Singh. The party suspended Anant Singh for six years over alleged anti-party activities. The result is being watched as a test of the JD(U)’s ability to contain internal dissent and consolidate support behind its official nominee.

Prashant Kishor's party gains big in Darbhanga

The Darbhanga Teachers’ result was a significant gain for the JSP, which defeated the Congress in a seat held by Madan Mohan Jha. The party’s representation in Bihar’s legislature has expanded following its victory in the constituency.

The BJP’s defeat in Patna Teachers’ was another setback. Nawal Kishore Yadav, a long-serving MLC, lost the seat to RJD’s Sanjeev Kumar, giving the opposition party a win in a key constituency.

In Tirhut Teachers’ seat, BJP candidate Narendra Prasad Singh secured 2,945 votes against 2,351 for Independent candidate Bhushan Jha. Sitting CPI MLC Sanjay Kumar Singh finished third with 1,967 votes.

In Saran Teachers’, Rahul Raj won with 3,300 votes, defeating JD(U)’s Anand Pushkar, who secured 2,727. Sitting MLC Afaque Ahmad of the JSP finished third with 2,454 votes.

Polling for the eight seats—four Teachers’ and four Graduates’ constituencies—was held on October 23 amid tight security. The seats together had more than 5.32 lakh electors, with 90 candidates contesting the Graduates’ seats and 60 in the Teachers’ constituencies.

The Graduates’ constituencies recorded a combined turnout of 53.42%, while turnout in the Teachers’ constituencies was 82.85%. Patna recorded 59.56% turnout in the Graduates’ seat and 74.75% in the Teachers’ constituency. Saran had the highest turnout among the Teachers’ seats at 89.05%.

(With inputs from Aditya Nath Jha, Bishnu K Jha and Sandeep Bhaskar).