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RJD-backed monk wins RS bypoll

Our Correspondent in Patna

The Rashtriya Janata Dal candidates for the by-election for the Rajya Sabha and legislative council seats, Bhante Dhamma Viriyo and Ram Deo Sahu, romped home when they defeated the independent candidates backed by the National Democratic Alliance Rajni Ranjan Sahu and Niranjan Singh.

While Bhante, a monk, got 163 votes, the NDA candidate got 132. Four votes were invalid. The RJD trounced the NDA by 167 to 128 votes in the election for the council seat.

The defeat of the NDA-backed independent candidates exposed the differences within the NDA and the lack of will within the alliance.

Initially they had not put up any candidate for both these seats. And the Janata Dal (U) backtracked on the matter of lending support to the independents. While it had no problem backing Ram Deo Sahu, it was averse to supporting Viriyo.

Janata Dal (U) legislature party leader Ganesh Yadav told newsmen after the election, "I deliberately spoiled my vote by stamping on both the candidates since Sahu was not an NDA candidate but a Congressmen who worked against me in the recently-held election."

Sahu belongs to the assembly constituency Ganesh Yadav represents. Yadav accused Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president Kailashpati Mishra of not fielding an NDA candidate and for forcing the NDA to support an independent who, till recently, was a Congressman.

Only 299 out of 322 MLAs voted today. The 11 members of the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist decided not to participate and two absconding NDA members were yet to take oath. But it was not clear why the remaining 10 members did not turn up. Surprisingly, the NDA made no effort to bring the jailed Independent MLAs supporting it to the polling booth though three of them were in the assembly.

The RJD even secured more votes in the by-election to the council though the JD(U) decided to support the independent candidate. In contrast, the independent RS nominee garnered more votes though many JD(U) men opposed his candidature.

Hailing the election of the Buddhist monk Bhante Dhamma Viriyo, RJD chief Laloo Yadav said his victory would help spread the teachings of Gautam Buddha in this time of communalism. The monk burst into tears after hearing the result.

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