As NDA heads for landslide victory, Tejashwi trails in Raghopur
What's the story
After leading from his family stronghold, Raghopur, Bihar, in the morning, Tejashwi Yadav is now second, with Bharatiya Janata Party's Satish Kumar leading by 106 votes. This shocking moment comes as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is headed for a landslide victory, leading in 188 seats of the 243-member state assembly. This puts them well above the majority mark of 122 seats. Meanwhile, Tejashwi's Grand Alliance (GA) is leading in just 52 seats.
Campaign challenges
Tejashwi's promises fail to impress voters
Tejashwi, the chief ministerial candidate for the Mahagathbandhan, had made several promises during his campaign. These included government jobs for every family and financial assistance to women. However, these promises didn't seem to resonate with voters as much as Nitish Kumar's schemes did. The NDA had capitalized on internal family differences within Lalu Prasad's family, which were highlighted during their campaign.
Election update
Tej Pratap Yadav trailing too
In Mahua, Tejashwi's brother Tej Pratap Yadav, who is contesting on a Janshakti Janta Dal ticket after being expelled from RJD, is also trailing by over 14,000 votes. Sanjay Kumar Singh of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is leading with over 19,000 votes; RJD leader and current MLA Mukesh Kumar Raushan is in second place with 13,828 votes; and AIMIM's Amit Kumar has secured over 6,000 votes.
Election trends
BJP ahead in key constituencies
The NDA is leading in several key constituencies, including Tarapur. In Digha, BJP MLA Sanjeev Chourasia is leading by over 5,000 votes. Folk singer Maithili Thakur of the BJP is also leading in Alinagar. Party-wise, the BJP is currently ahead in 84 seats in the 243-member Bihar assembly, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JDU in 76, Union Minister Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas) in 22, Hindustani Awam Morcha in five, and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha in two.