Patna, Oct 27 BJP candidate Narendra Prasad Singh on Tuesday defeated his nearest rival, Independent nominee Bhushan Kumar Jha, to win the Tirhut Teachers’ constituency in the Bihar Legislative Council elections, officials said.
The election officer of Tirhut Teachers’ constituency officially declared the result.
Officials said the counting process in the remaining seven seats that went to polls on October 23 was underway, but the trends were not yet available.
In Tirhut Teachers’ constituency, the result marks a comeback for Singh, who had finished third in the previous election. CPI-backed candidate and three-time MLC, Sanjay Kumar Singh, failed to emerge as a major contender in the race.
News of the BJP candidate’s victory sparked celebrations in the NDA camp, with supporters congratulating one another.
Narendra Prasad Singh and Jha were locked in a close contest during counting, before Singh eventually secured victory, the officials said.
After his victory, Singh said the victory belonged to the NDA and its workers.
He credited their hard work and support for his success.
The result is being viewed as a significant shift in the region’s political landscape.
Counting of votes for biennial elections to eight Bihar Legislative Council seats began at 8 am on Tuesday amid tight security, an official said.
The counting will decide the electoral fate of 90 candidates in four graduates seats and 60 in four teachers constituencies, he said.
Independent candidate Rahul Raj, who was expelled by the BJP after rebelling against the NDA’s candidate selection, is likely to win the Saran Teachers’ seat.
Officials said that Raj maintained his lead after the conclusion of the second round of counting.
By the time of filing this report, RJD-backed Anil Jha was leading after the first round of counting from the Darbhanga Graduates’ MLC seat.
Polling, held on October 23, recorded a turnout of 82.85 per cent in teachers constituencies and 53.42 per cent in graduates seats.
The Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi Graduates’ constituencies had a total of 4.92 lakh eligible electors, while the Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran Teachers’ seats had 40,253.
For two seats in Patna, the counting was underway at Bankipur Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School, while votes were being counted for two Darbhanga constituencies at Khel Bhawan-cum-Vyayamshala Bhawan, he said.
Purnea District Magistrate Anshul Kumar said the counting started at 8 am for the Kosi Graduates’ seat and agents of candidates were present on the premises.
Darbhanga District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar said counting was going on smoothly as per the guidelines of the Election Commission.
Congress’s Patna Teachers’ candidate Sanjay Yadav held a protest outside the counting centre at Bankipur school, alleging malpractices and the “absence of CCTV cameras” in the counting hall.
“There are indications of electoral malpractices. CCTV cameras have been installed outside the counting hall, but no device was placed inside the hall. It is an attempt to orchestrate malpractices,” Yadav told PTI Videos.
RJD’s Patna Teachers’ nominee Sanjeev Kumar Singh also alleged that the district administration had made arrangements for “carrying out irregularities”.
Jan Suraaj Party candidate Anuj Singh said he would lodge a complaint with the Election Commission over “absence of CCTV cameras inside the counting hall”.
“CCTV cameras have not been installed inside the counting hall, and the condition here is very unhygienic. Adequate arrangements for agents have not been made. How will our counting agents stay here during the expected 18-20 hour counting period? I will write an email to the Election Commission,” he said.
Reacting to the allegation of absence of CCTV cameras inside the counting hall, Patna District Magistrate Kundan Kumar said, “Videography is being done in MLC elections instead of installing CCTV cameras.”
“We are strictly following the EC guidelines. All candidates have already been briefed about the standard operating procedures,” he said.
Even before the counting trends come up, supporters of Mokama MLA Anant Singh celebrated outside his residence, where sweets were prepared in anticipation of Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) candidate Anuj Singh’s victory.
The Mokama MLA has been supporting the Jan Suraaj nominee for the Patna Graduates’ seat, alleging that JD(U) nominee Neeraj Kumar had worked against him in last year’s assembly polls.
The JD(U) had expelled Anant Singh and his wife Neelam Devi for six years for alleged anti-party activities.
(PTI News)
