Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
The Bharatiya Janta Party-led NDA suffered an electoral shock in three Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday managed to retain Jehanabad seat as well as the Araria Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, while, the saffron party clinched the Bhabua assembly seat.
Dedicating the win to the people of Bihar, RJD chief’s son and party leader Tejashwi Yadav called the results ‘a victory of the ideology of Lalu Prasad Yadav.’
You have not jailed Lalu Yadav, you have jailed an ideology. This very ideology will destroy your ego.Tejashwi Yadav tweeted as the results were pouring in.
The bypolls were considered the first electoral test after Nitish Kumar dumped the Grand Alliance and joined hands with the BJP last year. Yadav also slammed the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government calling it an “opportunistic alliance.”
Yadav on 14 March took jibes at the saffron party, saying he expects more ED and CBI actions now.
Bihar chief minister Sushil Modi is accused in corruption cases. But no investigation are being conducted. However, after the bypolls results, we expect Modi and Amit Shah to speed up ED and CBI probe in Bihar and UP.Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leader said.
The for a Grand Alliance at the national level to defeat the BJP and said there was a need for opposition leaders to shed their ego.
“A grand Alliance is the demand of time, it is the demand of the people. Keep your ego away,” Yadav added.
He said the Samajwadi Party and the BSP should fight the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together and urged the Congress to join them in driving the political discourse in the right direction.
The former Deputy Chief Minister, who led the RJD campaign as his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad is in jail, said his party's social support base was intact.
Manjhi had recently joined the grand alliance after walking away from NDA government.
Reacting to the results, former Chief Minister of Bihar Jitan Ram Manjhi said, “BJP should stop working for its face value and instead put in efforts to work for the people. That’s the only way in which they can improve or else they will face the same result in the 2019 elections as they have in this bypoll.”
(With IANS inputs)
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