UPA meets electoral waterloo in byelection

Patna/Ranchi/Guwahati, Nov 9 (UNI) The UPA was today cartwheeled to political ignominy as they had to eat humble pie in all the three Parliamentary constituencies in Bihar and Jharkhand and the Assembly seat in Asom.

While the NDA retained the Nalanda and Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi romped home from Koderma.

Former Union Minister and BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain notched up a facile victory from Bhagalpur, defeating former Minister Shakuni Choudhry (RJD) by over 50,000 votes.

Mr Hussain polled 2.21 lakh votes against Mr Choudhry's 1.65 lakh.

JD(U)'s Ramswaroop Prasad emerged victorious from Nalanda, getting better of JD(U) rebel Arun Kumar, contesting as an Independent, by over one lakh votes.

Mr Prasad polled a little over 1.67 lakh votes against Mr Kumar's 50,000.

The byelections to both seats were necessitated as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar vacated the Nalanda seat and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi, Bhagalpur, after taking over the reins of the state.

In Jharkhand's Koderma Lok Sabha seat, Jharkhand Vikash Morcha president Babulal Marandi, contesting as an Independent, steamrolled his rival and UPA candidate Manoj Yadav by almost two lakh votes.

Mr Marandi's former party BJP was relegated to the third position.

Mr Marandi bagged 3,25,871 votes, while Mr Yadav polled 1,31,731.

BJP's Pranab Verma came third with 1,15,892 votes.

The byelection was necessitated following the resignation of Mr Marandi, then BJP's national vice-president, from the Lok Sabha in May this year after he quit the party.

In Asom, the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) retained the Jamunamukh Assembly seat, defeating the Congress candidate.

AUDF's Sirajuddin Ajmal polled 58,303 votes, while Mr Khalilur Rahman Choudhury of the Congress secured 44,884.

The byelection assumed great significance as the ruling Congress threw its entire might to wrest the seat, considered to be a citadel of the AUDF since it was vacated by AUDF president Badruddin Ajmal, bete noire of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

In fact the Congress hijacked Asom Gana Parishad candidate Khalilur Rahman Choudhury at the last moment, upsetting the equation of both AGP as well as its own internal party organs.

UNI TEAM SJC KLC1725