Bihar MLC polls: Jan Suraaj Party opens account, JD(U)'s Neeraj Kumar 'wins' Patna Graduates seat

The Jan Suraaj Party inaugurated its account in the Bihar Legislative Council elections, with candidate Suresh Prasad Rai victorious in the Darbhanga Teachers seat by a margin of 324 votes over incumbent Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha, according to officials on Wednesday. In Tirhut Teachers constituency, BJP candidate Narendra Prasad Singh emerged triumphant over independent rival Bhushan Kumar Jha.

N.K. Yadav was declared the winner in Kosi Graduates seat. The Patna Graduates constituency saw JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar defeating RJD's nominee, the official results still pending. In Saran Teachers constituency, sitting MLC Afaq Ahmed lost to independent candidate Rahul Raj. Elections officials anticipate declaring results for remaining seats by Wednesday evening.

The MLC polls decided the electoral fate of 90 candidates in 4 graduate seats and 60 nominees in 4 teacher constituencies. Polls were held on October 23, with a turnout of 82.85% in teacher constituencies and 53.42% in graduate seats. Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Kosi Graduates constituencies had a total of 4.92 lakh eligible voters, while Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Saran Teachers seats had 40,253 voters.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary congratulated winning candidates and expressed confidence in their efforts to improve education quality. JD(U)'s Neeraj Kumar criticized party leader Anant Singh in his victory speech, referencing a video where Singh allegedly urged his aide, Gunjan Singh, to hand out sweets before results were announced.

Anant Singh had defected from the JD(U) to support Jan Suraaj Party's Anuj Singh, who was later suspended for alleged anti-party activities. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav hailed JD(U)’s victory in MLC polls after nearly 2.5 decades, alleging NDA's vote rigging and asserting the RJD came second in several seats. JD(U) State President Umesh Kushwaha hailed Neeraj Kumar's win as a "historic victory for the NDA."