Patna: The BJP has retained Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha as Deputy Chief Ministers in the new Bihar government, continuing their roles from the previous administration. Both senior leaders not only secured their victories but also drew attention for receiving almost identical vote counts, a rare occurrence in a state known for its diverse electoral patterns.
Samrat Chaudhary, contesting from Tarapur in Munger district for the first time, defeated RJD’s Arun Kumar by a comfortable margin of 45,843 votes. He secured a total of 122,480 votes. Chaudhary, who earlier represented the Parbatta seat, has previously won elections in 2000 and 2010.
Vijay Kumar Sinha won from Lakhisarai for the fourth consecutive time, polling 122,408 votes and defeating Congress candidate Amresh Kumar by 24,940 votes. With both Deputy Chief Ministers receiving nearly identical vote totals — a difference of just 72 votes — their results have sparked discussions among political observers.
Similar Vote Patterns Across BJP Strongholds
This pattern was not limited to the Deputy Chief Ministers. In Supaul district, BJP’s Neeraj Kumar Singh from Chhatapur secured 122,491 votes, while BJP MLA Krishna Kumar Rishi from Banmakhi in Purnia district received 122,494 votes — a marginal difference of only three votes. Singh won for the fourth time, while Rishi clinched his sixth consecutive victory.
A parallel trend emerged in Bhagalpur and Islampur: BJP’s Rohit Pandey polled 100,770 votes in Bhagalpur, while JD(U)’s Ruhal Ranjan secured 100,487 votes in Islampur. The narrow difference between their vote counts added to the unusual pattern.
BJP’s Vijay Khemka from Purnia and party MLA Sanjay Singh from Lalganj also registered strikingly similar numbers — 127,614 and 127,650 votes, respectively.
Turnout Trends Mirror Vote Totals
According to Election Commission data, constituencies where candidates received similar vote totals also recorded comparable voter turnout.
Tarapur saw a turnout of 58.9%, slightly below the regional average. Lakhisarai recorded 61% turnout, driven by higher participation of women voters. Chhatapur had the highest turnout among the four seats at 63.2%, while Banmakhi recorded 60.7%.
The turnout pattern — ranging between 58% and 63% — indicates relatively uniform voter engagement across these constituencies.
Every Third NDA MLA Secured Over 50% Vote Share
In another significant outcome, 68 NDA MLAs crossed the 50% vote share mark, while none of the opposition MLAs achieved this feat. The BJP won 89 seats overall, and 36 of its winning candidates secured more than half the votes polled.
Nitin Naveen from Bankipur topped the list with a 62.66% vote share, earning 98,299 votes out of 1,56,855. Among the 12 BJP seats lost, four defeats were by razor-thin margins — including setbacks by 30 votes in Ramgarh, 178 votes in Forbesganj, and 271 votes in Dhaka.
Within the NDA, the JD(U) saw 27 MLAs cross 50% vote share. Rajgir MLA Kaushal Kishore led the party with 57.87%, followed by Dhamdaha MLA Lesy Singh at 57.32%.
Among LJP(R) MLAs, three candidates crossed the 50% mark — Rajiv Ranjan (Dehri), Raju Tiwari (Govindganj), and Babulal Shaurya (Parbatta). On the other hand, LJP(R)’s Sangeeta Devi won the Balrampur seat with just 29% of the vote, edging out opponents by only 389 votes, making it the narrowest NDA victory.
RJD’s Vote Share Falls Short of 50%
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav secured the highest vote share within his party but still fell short of the 50% mark. He obtained 49.74% of the total votes in Raghopur. Parsa’s Karishma also came close with 49.16%.
The Congress, with six MLAs, registered vote shares between 38% and 48% in their respective constituencies.
Understanding Vote Share
A candidate’s vote share refers to the percentage of valid votes they receive out of the total votes cast in that constituency. Crossing the 50% threshold means that more than half the voters supported that candidate — a rare scenario in India due to multi-cornered contests. Election experts say candidates with over 50% vote share typically win by large margins and generally retain strong support in subsequent elections.
NDA Dominates Bihar Polls
The NDA — comprising the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM (S), and RLSP — secured a historic victory with 202 out of 243 seats. The Grand Alliance was reduced to just 35 seats.
The RJD, once Bihar’s largest party, faced a setback. Contesting 143 seats, it managed to win only 25, marking one of its weakest performances in recent years.
