Overview
- RJD candidate Sonu Kumar Rai won after Thursday's count with 2,486 votes to JD(U) nominee Kanhaiya Prasad’s 2,146, a margin of 340 from 5,335 valid ballots.
- This seat is chosen by local body representatives such as municipal and parishad members, who recorded a striking 97.96% turnout on Tuesday.
- JD(U) rebel Manoj Upadhyay, running as an Independent, polled about 636 votes and is widely credited with splitting the NDA vote.
- The outcome is the first major contest since Nitish Kumar left the chief minister’s post and is being read as a setback for the NDA and a lift for RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
- Tejashwi Yadav said the ballot-paper win supports his call to move away from EVMs, arguing paper voting builds trust in results.