PATNA: RJD-backed candidate Anil Kumar Jha won the Darbhanga Graduates’ constituency in Bihar’s Legislative Council elections after more than 34 hours of preference-based vote counting, defeating sitting BJP MLC Sarvesh Kumar in a close contest.
The result was declared late on Thursday after multiple rounds of counting and candidate elimination. Sarvesh Kumar initially led the contest, raising hopes in the NDA camp, while Jan Suraaj Party candidate Mohammad Imtiaz Noorani secured a substantial number of first-preference votes.
After the 10th round, Sarvesh Kumar had 16,115 votes against Jha’s 14,615, a lead of 1,500 votes. Noorani had secured 10,227 votes.
As none of the candidates reached the required quota of 31,911 first-preference votes, the counting proceeded to second preferences and subsequent elimination rounds. Candidates with the lowest vote counts were eliminated successively, and their ballots were transferred according to voters’ next preferences, eventually giving Jha the victory.
The counting was also marked by a dispute over ballot validity at the Darbhanga counting centre, where a verbal altercation broke out between RJD and BJP counting agents. Police said five people, including two RJD agents and three BJP agents, were taken into custody following the commotion. They said the incident did not disrupt the counting process.
After his victory, Jha described the result as a victory of “people’s strength” over “money power”. “This election was a contest between people’s strength and money power. An ordinary party worker from a modest economic background was contesting against people whose resources were beyond comparison. My victory sends a big message that even an ordinary worker can win an election with people’s blessings and support,” he added.
With Jha’s victory, the RJD won two seats. The other Mahagathbandhan constituents failed to win any seats, with the sitting Congress and CPI MLCs losing their seats. Among NDA constituents, the BJP won two seats, while the JD(U) and Jan Suraaj Party secured one each. Independents won two seats.
Four seats each from the Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies went to the polls.