Patna, Nov 14 (IANS) RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Mahagathbandhan’s Chief Ministerial face, is trailing in the Lalu family’s stronghold, Raghopur Assembly constituency, as BJP’s Satish Kumar was seen leading with over 17,500 votes, according to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) early trends.

Sitting RJD MLA Tejashwi Yadav, who secured victories in both 2015 and 2020, is aiming to maintain his stronghold amidst tough competition from BJP’s Satish Kumar Yadav and JanSuraj’s Chanchal Kumar.

Raghopur is a bastion for the RJD. Historically, Tejashwi Yadav’s father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the founder of the RJD, along with his mother, Rabri Devi, have both represented this seat. Tejashwi has been the representative for this constituency since 2015. He won the seat in the 2020 elections with a lead of over 38,000 votes.

In this election, the BJP has selected Satish Kumar Yadav as their candidate for Raghopur. Yadav previously won against Rabri Devi in the 2010 elections while representing the JD(U).

Notably, one of the individuals opposing Tejashwi Yadav is Prem Kumar from the Janshakti Janata Dal, a party established by Tejashwi’s estranged brother, Tej Pratap Yadav.

According to the Election Commission of India’s update at 11.15 a.m., the JD(U) was leading in 79 seats, while the BJP was ahead of its ally with 83 seats. Together, the NDA was leading in 188 constituencies, leaving the Mahagathbandhan far behind with 44 seats.

The counting process for all 243 Assembly seats commenced at 8 a.m., beginning with the scrutiny of postal ballots. This was followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes from 8.30 a.m., taking place under extensive multi-tier security arrangements across the state.

Candidates from both alliances expressed confidence in their performance. Leaders from the NDA asserted that the people of Bihar had reposed faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantees and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s work toward the state’s development.

The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD, claimed that Bihar had “voted for change” and expressed optimism that Tejashwi Yadav would form the next government.

Earlier, speaking to IANS, Tejashwi said, “Change will happen, a government will be formed”, as counting progressed, reflecting his confidence in the electoral outcome and mandate.

–IANS

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