Tej Pratap Yadav's shift to Bihar's Hasanpur pays-off, RJD leader wins seat by 21000 votes

In what will no doubt come as a relief to the first family of the RJD, Tej Pratap Yadav, older brother to Mahagathbandhan CM-face Tejashwi, has emerged victorious from the Hasanpur Assembly Constituency by 21,139 votes, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI). 

It seems like Tej Pratap's decision to eschew the Mahua constituency and adopt Hasanpur seems to have paid off for the RJD leader who was pitted against formidable sitting legislator- JD(U)'s Raj Kumar Rai who had been holding the fort since 2010. 

Just before Bihar went to polls, Tej Pratap abandoned the Mahua constituency in Vaishali district from where he was elected in 2015 and filed his nomination papers from Hasanpur. Rumors coursed through the political field that Tej Pratap's reason for shifting to Hasanpur was that his estranged wife Aishwarya Rai may contest from his Mahua seat, which ultimately did not happen. 

Read: Bihar Election Results: Amid Neck-and-neck Contest, Tej Pratap Says 'Tejashwi Bhavah'

Read: In Bihar, Lalu's Sons Tejashwi & Tej Pratap In Poll Fray For Phase 2; Face Tough Challenge

The Hasanpur seat - Yadav dominated - is located in the Samastipur district of Bihar but comes under the Khagaria Lok Sabha constituency from where LJP's Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser is the second consecutive term MP. However, Chirag Paswan had not fielded any candidate on the seat which sources have said is to help Tej Pratap. 

Tej Pratap held rallies, undertook door-to-door campaigns and was seen playing cricket, riding a tractor in a field, playing a flute and eating 'litti-Chokha' with the people - pictures of these events are also shared on his Twitter profile. There were a total of eight candidates vying for the seat.

While the BJP was beginning to lead in early trends, the RJD is presently appearing the single-largest party, leading in 76 seats, followed by the BJP in 74 seats. As per the latest EC trends, apart from the close tug-of-war between the RJD and the BJP, JDU has emerged at the third position leading in 43 seats, while Congress is leading in 23 seats. LJP in 1, while AIMIM has exceeded expectations leading in 4 seats. Currently, NDA leads in 123 seats, while Mahagathbandhan is leading in 114 seats in the 243-seat Assembly elections.

Read: Bihar Elections 2020: Here Are 7 Key Seats In Phase 2; Tejashwi & Tej Pratap In Poll Fray

Read: Bihar Elections 2020: Tej Pratap Yadav Abandons Mahua Seat; Files Nomination From Hasanpur