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Just three months after its spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha election, the BJP received a massive jolt in the Assembly by-polls in Bihar. The saffron party suffered a 4-6 defeat at the hands of the RJD-JD (U)-Congress alliance. The "secular alliance" stitched by rivals-turned-friends Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad got them real benefits. The JD (U) and the RJD along with the Congress won Rajnagar (SC), Chapra and Mohiuddinnagar (all three by RJD), Jale and Parbatta (both JD-U), Bhagalpur (Congress) seats in the by-polls.
Congress wrested Bhagalpur from BJP while JD (U) defeated BJP ally LJP of Ram Vilas Paswan in Parbatta, which was won by RJD in 2010. The BJP could bag only four seats out of 10 in this by-election as against six they had won in 2010 assembly election. The most embarrassing part was that the BJP could not even save its strongholds like Bhagalpur and Chapra. Although the outcome of the bypoll would not have much impact on the health of the JD (U) government in the state, led by Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, as it already enjoys support of 145 MLAs in the 243-member House, it would certainly infuse new energy in the embattled JD (U) after it received severe drubbing in the general elections.
The BJP and its allies won 31 out of 40 seats in Bihar at that time, while the JD (U) was reduced to just 2 seats.
Buoyed by the victory, JD (U) leader and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the results signaled which way political wind are blowing in the state.
He said the voters have expressed their "displeasure" with the Narendra Modi Government and suggested that the alliance would be broadened to include Left parties to check BJP's "communal agenda". From a Mumbai hospital, Lalu tweeted, "I thank the people for making our alliance win. Voters across the country have rectified the mistakes made in Lok Sabha elections." BJP was, however, quick to reject that the by-poll results were a reflection on the performance of the Narendra Modi government.
However, it has blamed the state leadership for this debacle. "The results is not as we expected. The state leadership takes the responsibility," said Shahnawaz Hussain.
Meanwhile senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the party would review and make amends in its efforts to win the assembly elections next year. The former deputy chief minister, under whose leadership BJP fought this by-election, also sought to make light of the verdict pointing out that the NDA had won 32 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 general elections but lost 13 out of 18 assembly bypolls soon after and again emerged victorious by 3/4 majority in 2010 assembly polls.
