Bihar bypoll: BJP, JD(U) slug it out in Kurhani

Altogether 13 candidates are in the fray the contest is being seen, primarily, between JD(U)'s Manoj Singh Kushwaha and BJP's Kedar Gupta,

The stage is set for bypoll to the Kurhani Assembly seat in Bihar, which marks the first electoral battle between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and the BJP since the two old allies parted ways four months ago.

Altogether 13 candidates are in the fray, and their fates will be decided by 3,11,728 voters though the contest is being seen, primarily, between JD(U)'s Manoj Singh Kushwaha and BJP's Kedar Gupta, both of whom have won the seat for their respective parties in the not so distant past.

The bypoll, to be held on Monday, was necessitated by the disqualification of RJD MLA Anil Kumar Sahani and the party, which has come to share power after the upheaval in August, has decided to back the Chief Minister's party.

Among the many things the bypoll outcome will be indicative of, is the ability of the RJD, the State's mightiest in terms of numbers in the Assembly, to transfer its votes to an ally which it had bitterly fought till recently.

Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, now in Singapore, by the side of his father and RJD president Lalu Prasad who will undergo a kidney transplant on Monday, appeared all too mindful of the challenge when he ran a spirited campaign earlier this week.

From coining a catchy slogan "chup chaap teer chhap", to reminding the numerically powerful Yadavs that there was now no difference between the lantern (RJD symbol) and the arrow (JDU), the Deputy CM left no stone unturned in sending across the message that though his party was not fighting the battle, its skin was very much in the game.

Another impediment that may be faced by the "Mahagathbandhan", which appears formidable on paper, is a possible split in votes of Muslims by Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM which appeared to have helped the BJP in retaining Gopalganj when bypoll was held in that Assembly segment about a month ago.