Patna: The Bihar legislative council elections for eight graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies offered the ruling NDA some relief but exposed weaknesses in the state’s electoral management. The alliance won four seats, matching its previous tally: It had held three, while independent Sarvesh Kumar, now the BJP candidate, also won. The BJP’s defeat in Patna teachers’ and a rebel’s victory in Saran raised questions about organisational cohesion.Congress and the Left lost their sitting seats, but the Patna teachers’ result will concern the NDA. RJD’s Sanjeev Kumar defeated five-time BJP MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav. This followed the BJP’s loss of Bankipur, its more-than-four-decade stronghold, to Prashant Kishor in assembly bypoll. Jan Suraaj is consolidating ground, judging by candidates’ votes, though these do not prove a decisive shift.In Saran teachers’ seat, former BJP neta Rahul Raj defeated JD(U) candidate Anand Pushkar as an independent. Raj sought an NDA ticket, but the seat went to JD(U) under the alliance’s seat-sharing arrangement. His win showed the cost of not accommodating a local aspirant and containing rebellion.JD(U)’s Neeraj Kumar retained Patna graduates’, defeating RJD’s Dilip Patel. Anuj Singh, backed by Mokama MLA Anant Singh, finished third. BJP’s N K Yadav won Kosi graduates’, extending his winning streak. In Darbhanga teachers’, Jan Suraaj’s Suresh Rai defeated Congress functionary Madan Mohan Jha; BJP’s Narendra Prasad Singh won Tirhut teachers’ against CPI’s Sanjay Singh.The results also revived debate over caste representation when all political parties are busy cajoling the extremely backward castes (36%), dalits (20%) and OBCs (28%) for their electoral numbers. Five of the winners in this election belong to the Bhumihar community, while the Rajput, Yadav and Mallah communities secured one seat each. However, the Bhumihar winners represented the JD(U), RJD, BJP and Jan Suraaj, underlining that caste identity alone does not determine electoral choices.Alliance arithmetic cannot guarantee votes when local rivalries and candidate selection breed resentment. The BJP and allies remain vulnerable in specific constituencies, but the results do not prove a broader realignment, said a political analyst. Graduates’ and teachers’ electorate are limited and distinct, making the results a warning against complacency, not a verdict on Bihar’s political future. The test is whether setbacks reveal organisational weaknesses that could affect elections with wider electorate.
