Patna: The political landscape in Bihar witnessed a major stir on Tuesday as the initial results for the high-stakes legislative council biennial elections began trickling in.In a significant victory for the ruling NDA, Narendra Prasad Singh of BJP secured the Tirhut teachers’ constituency, defeating his nearest rival, Bhushan Jha (independent), by a margin of 594 votes. The incumbent CPI MLC Sanjay Kumar Singh trailed in third position. Sanjay was the only member of his party in the legislative council. With his defeat, CPI lost its only representation in the council.A dramatic upset unfolded in the Saran teachers’ constituency, where BJP rebel and independent candidate Rahul Raj registered a stunning victory. Raj, who was expelled by the saffron party, decided to contest against the official NDA candidate Anand Puskar of JD(U). He successfully defeated the incumbent MLC, Afaque Ahmad of Jan Suraaj.Chief minister Samrat Choudhary congratulated BJP candidate Narendra Prasad Singh on his victory in the Tirhut teachers’ constituency. “This victory is a symbol of teachers’ trust in NDA. We have faith that you will continuously work for the welfare of teachers, their honour, and uplift of education,” the CM said in a post on X.The biennial elections, held across four teachers’ and four graduates’ constituencies, are being closely monitored. Voting for eight constituencies—Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Kosi graduates’, alongside Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Saran teachers’—concluded on Oct 23. The polling saw robust participation, registering a turnout of 82.85% in the teachers’ seats and 53.42% in the graduates’ constituencies.Counting of votes commenced at 8 am on Tuesday under stringent multi-tier security layers at designated regional headquarters. Officials indicated that given the preferential voting system used in MLC elections, final tabulations for several seats are expected to stretch till Wednesday.The latest trends, till the time of filing of report, indicate a highly competitive battle across the remaining six seats. In the prestigious Patna graduates’ seat, incumbent JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar is holding a steady lead over RJD’s Dilip Patel. Jan Suraaj candidate, Anuj Singh, supported by expelled JD(U) MLA from Mokama Anant Kumar Singh, was trailing at third position.Patna teachers’ constituency is witnessing a nail-biting finish, with a razor-thin margin between BJP’s sitting MLC Nawal Kishor Yadav and RJD’s Sanjeev Kumar.In the Kosi graduates’ segment, BJP’s N K Yadav is leading over the RJD candidate Nitesh Kumar. In Darbhanga teachers’ constituency, Jan Suraaj candidate Suresh Prasad Rai is leading over Congress candidate and incumbent MLC Madan Mohan Jha.Election officials expect complete official declarations for the remaining seats by Wednesday.
