Patna (The Hawk): Both the RJD and the BJP should take note of the outcomes of the recent byelections in Bihar, as they serve as a warning that nothing should be taken for granted. These results are anticipated to alter the political landscape in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 Vidhan Sabha elections, despite claims by the BJP and RJD that the margin of defeat in Mokama and Gopalganj, respectively, was narrower than in the 2020 Assembly elections.
A glimmer of hope has been provided by the Gopalganj outcome for the BJP to challenge the Muslim Yadav in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 Vidhan Sabha elections. On the other hand, the victory of the BJP represents a severe blow for the RJD and the grand coalition of seven parties in Bihar. BJP candidate Kusum Devi received 70,053 votes, while Mohan Prasad Gupta of the RJD received 68,259 votes. Notably, Abdul Salam of AIMIM received 12,212 votes while Indira Yadav, Sadhu Yadav's wife, ran for office on the BSP ticket and received 8,853 votes.
The two candidates were evenly matched until the final round, when the BJP candidate eventually won. Indira Yadav, a candidate for the BSP and Sadhu Yadav's wife, as well as Abdul Salam, a candidate for the AIMIM, could both have had a part in the BJP's triumph. In this tight race, these two have emerged as "vote-cutters" for the RJD candidate. Muslim and Yadav (MY), who together received over 21,000 votes, are supporters of RJD.
According to Union Minister Giriraj Singh, Neelam Singh of the RJD narrowly defeated Sonam Devi of the BJP by 16,000 votes for the Mokama assembly seat. Anant Singh, the "Bahubali" leader and wife of Neelam, won the most recent Assembly election by a margin of more than 36,000 votes. It is an unequivocal sign that the BJP has made political gains in Mokama. Instead of the RJD, Anant Singh has won.
Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the RJD and deputy chief minister, is cited by IANS as saying, "The margin of defeat in Gopalganj was just 1,794 votes. The late Subhash Singh, a candidate for the BJP, defeated the RJD by a margin of more than 40,000 votes in the most recent assembly election.
Tejashwi Yadav continued, "RJD has emerged significantly in Gopalganj, and if others (AIMIM and Sadhu Yadav) hadn't played the role of 'vote-cutter,' RJD would have won that seat as well.
According to reports, Ahmed Asfaq Karim of the RJD blamed the defeat in Gopalganj on Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, saying, "Owaisi came here in Bihar and other states to destroy Mahagathbandhan. His party, AIMIM, is a recognised vote-cutter party at the national level in the nation.
"The BJP's B-team is working to divide a minority's votes. Owaisi was tasked with travelling from Hyderabad to Bihar and overthrowing the Mahagathbandhan. The minority population in Bihar and other states needs to understand this and stop supporting organisations like AIMIM, the RJD MP stated.
(Inputs from Agencies)