Bihar By-Election Result 2018 updates: RJD bags Araria Lok Sabha seat by over 61,000 votes

Bypolls don't comment on affairs at central level, says Bihar BJP vice-president

Bihar's BJP vice-president Devesh Kumar said, "The by-elections are driven by local factors and are no comment on the state affairs at the central level. We are sure of our win in Karnataka. As for the comment by Irfan Ahmed that our politics is hatred based, I don't want to comment on such a frivolous statement."

Asked if BJP's only victory today, of widow of former MLA, was based on sympathy, he said, "The results of the bypolls have been largely driven by sympathy. For instance, in Araria, the ticket was allotted to Mohammed Taslimuddin's son after his demise. The case is similar in Jehanabad and Bhabua. We have established a lead in four constituencies and the two where we have lost are Muslim-dominated. In 2014, we had lost elections in Araria by over 2 lakh votes, this time the margin has sunk very low. This has established that our social base has increased."

Input by Namrata Gulati Sapra/101Reporters

Watch: Jahanabad's new MLA Kumar Krishna Mohan (RJD) on his victory march

Vitdeo courtesy: Ganesh Prasad/101Reporters

Watch: Sarfaraz Alam credits Lalu Prasad's ideas, voters' love for his win in Araria

Araria's new Member of Parliament, Sarfaraz Alam, talking to reporters said Lalu Prasad Yadav's ideas and the common people's love are the reason for his win. When asked what are his challenges going forward, he said, "There are no challenges in front of us. The one who works among the people, doesn't worry about any kind of challenges. You think it was easy to win this time? From Delhi to Bihar, we could feel the influence of (BJP's) money and power."

Input by Ganesh Prasad/101Reporters

Tejashwi Yadav congratulated Samajwadi Party chief Akilesh Yadav over the phone on Uttar Pradesh bye-election results

Input by Vidya Sagar/101Reporters

I was always confident of winning, says BJP's Rinki Rani Pandey

After winning the Bhabhua seat, BJP's Rinki Rani Pandey said, "Whatever promises I have made, I have set out to achieve them today. I will keep striving to achieve all of the promises I have made in the past. This is not my victory, this is the love of Bhabhua Vidhan Sabha constituency. I was always confident that I would win."

Input by Ganesh Prasad/101Reporters

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 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