Bihar's ruling JD(U) candidate Pratima Sinha on Wednesday won the Islampur Assembly seat, humbling her nearest rival and UPA-Left Front combined nominee Rakesh Roshan of CPI by 9,339 votes and also a rebel candidate of her party.
While Pratima Sinha, widow of a former MLA from the seat Pankaj Sinha, polled 42,830 votes, Roshan secured 33,491. Rebel JD(U) candidate Bharat Prasad Singh polled just 386 votes and forfeited his security deposit.
The Islampur triumph is the fifth for the ruling NDA in a by-poll held since it came to power in November 2005. Earlier, it had won the by-elections to Bhagalpur and Nalanda Lok Sabha constituencies and Patna and Manihari Assembly seats.
The JD(U) candidate's victory in Islampur comes as a great morale booster for the NDA as JD(U)'s Lok Sabha member from Nalanda Ramswaroop Prasad actively campaigned for the CPI candidate in defiance of the party and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kumar had vacated the Nalanda LS seat following his election to the State Legislative Council on becoming Chief Minister and was instrumental in securing Prasad's nomination and win from there.
Prasad, who wanted the Islampur Assembly seat for his son, had made known his "displeasure" and even campaigned for the cpi nominee in the last days of electioneering.
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