Patna, Nov 23 (IANS) The ruling NDA has achieved a sweeping victory in the bye-elections for all four Assembly seats in Bihar, with alliance leaders claiming that the 100 per cent strike rate is a strong indicator of success in the 2025 Assembly polls.
The polling for the bye-elections on November 13 for the four Assembly seats in Bihar was conducted smoothly, registering an average voter turnout of 52.84 per cent.
In the Tarari Assembly constituency, BJP candidate Vishal Prashant emerged victorious. Similarly, the BJP's Ashok Kumar Singh secured the Ramgarh seat by a margin of 1,362 votes after 12 rounds of counting.
Deepa Kumari, the daughter-in-law of Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, won the tightly-contested Imamganj Assembly seat. In Belaganj, JD(U) candidate Manorma Devi claimed victory.
Reacting to the landslide win, JD-U chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar credited the victory to the relevance of regional parties and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's developmental work.
Speaking to IANS, he said, "The bye-election results in Bihar have made it clear that the role of regional parties cannot be undermined. Cooperation and respect for regional or natural alliance parties is necessary."
He added, "The election result in Bihar is very significant. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) insults even its alliance partners, and now they have faced defeat."
Highlighting the challenges in the Shahabad region, Neeraj Kumar stated, "Shahabad faced the problem of Naxalism, and Tarari was under the control of the CPI(ML) for ten years. It has been freed from this control. Similarly, the Imamganj seat near Jharkhand also faces challenges from Naxalism."
"Despite these challenges, Nitish Kumar's utility as a leader remains evident, though it is questioned by those accused of salary scams and those who contest elections funded by liquor companies. Such individuals cannot question Nitish Kumar's integrity," he said.
Taking a direct jab at Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor, the JD-U spokesperson said, "Prashant Kishor, who once claimed to make a Prime Minister and Chief Minister, now finds his party unable to win even four seats. His candidates are not even in the race."
"Those who claimed to make someone the Prime Minister are now struggling to win even an MLA seat in Bihar. Once they stepped out of Nitish Kumar's shadow, they became politically irrelevant," he remarked.
State BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal hailed the victory as the biggest achievement for the NDA, asserting that the alliance is poised to form the government again in 2025.
"This is my first bypoll as party President, and the 100 per cent strike rate is a major milestone. The results in Shahabad and Magadh, where the BJP has historically struggled, send a clear message that the NDA will secure a mandate in the 2025 Assembly elections," he told IANS.
Jaiswal also took a dig at the Opposition and new political entrants, saying, "Some leaders had declared these bye-elections as a semi-final. I had maintained that every election is a final. Those relying on semi-finals have now faced the same fate as the Opposition."
"I treat every election as a challenge. All NDA allies worked together to contest these polls, and this unity has sent a strong message for 2025 when the Nitish Kumar-led government will be formed once again," he added.
