Lalu’s sons win big, Paswan’s kin beaten

New Delhi: Many big leaders predictably won their seats in the high-voltage Bihar Assembly elections but several others tasted defeat at the hustings.

Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, was not among the contestants, but the impressive margins of victories of both his sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi Prasad in Mahua and Raghopur would have left him no less elated than the fact that his party has emerged as the single largest in the polls.

LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan’s brother Pashupati Kumar Paras and nephew Prince Raj were among prominent losers in this election.

Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) floated by former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, failed to impress. In fact Manjhi himself enjoyed a mixed luck losing the Makhdumapur seat but managing to win from Imamganj, which he was also contesting.

Another senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, also emerged victorious from Alinagar.

Senior BJP leader Nand Kumar Yadav won his seat, but not before facing a stiff challenge from RJD candidate Santosh Mehta.

Mokama’s ‘bahubali’ turned politician, Anant Kumar Singh, a three-term MLA on JD(U), who resigned from the party just before the polls after being arrested in a criminal case, won as independent trouncing the official candidates of both the main alliances.

Another prominent candidate from Manjhi’s party Sakuni Choudhary too lost in Tarapur.