Patna, Aug 3 (IANS) As counting of votes for the Bankipur Assembly bye-election got underway on Monday, Janata Dal (United) National Spokesperson, Rajiv Ranjan, expressed confidence that BJP-led NDA candidate Neeraj Sinha would secure a historic victory.
Speaking to IANS, Ranjan said, “The BJP-led NDA candidate Neeraj Sinha is certain to win by a historic margin. Whether it is Prashant Kishor or any other candidate contesting the election, all political campaigning and rhetoric are now over. They should wait for the results. We believe that whenever people vote on the basis of development, the NDA benefits from it.”
Highlighting the NDA government’s development work in the constituency, he credited Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for transforming Bankipur into a prominent part of the state capital.
“The way Bankipur has developed under the leadership of Nitish Kumar has made it an important part of Patna. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has also contributed significantly to its growth. There should be no doubt that people are witnessing development and will vote accordingly,” he told IANS.
Bihar Minister Shrawon Kumar said, “We have also been trailing in the first round of elections on several occasions. We ourselves have been behind in the initial rounds many times, but the final results have gone in our favour. So, the trends of the first round are not the final trends. Please wait; we are confident that the trends will come in favour of the NDA. We have full faith and confidence that the people here will reward the work we have done, the service we have provided, and our 20 years of efforts. We hope and expect a positive result. However, we will respect whatever mandate the people give.”
The results of the Bankipur Assembly bye-election will be declared on Monday as counting of votes is underway at AN College in Patna.
Voting for the constituency was held on July 30, recording a voter turnout of 34.30 per cent. The bypoll has turned into a closely watched three-way contest between BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha, RJD candidate Rekha Gupta and Jan Suraaj Party candidate Prashant Kishor.
In the first round of counting, Prashant Kishor established an early lead with 2,225 votes, giving him an advantage of 862 votes over his nearest rival.
BJP’s Neeraj Kumar Sinha stood second with 1,363 votes, while RJD’s Rekha Kumari was in third place with 505 votes.
Tanveer Alam of the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party was fourth with 203 votes.
However, the counting process is still underway, and the early trends are not indicative of the final result.
–IANS
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