Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Tuesday blamed the party's state unit chief Jagada Nand Singh and leaders, Sunil Singh and Sanjay Yadav for the defeat in Kusheshwar Asthan Assembly seat that had a bypoll on October 30.
"Jagada Nand Singh (Bihar RJD chief), Sunil Singh and Sanjay Yadav are responsible for the defeat in Kusheshwar Asthan Assembly bypoll," Yadav said.
The RJD leader accused the leaders for attempting to create a rift between two brothers. "These leaders want us (Tejashwi and I) to fight. I request them to leave the party," Tej Pratap Yadav said.
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Bypolls were held on October 30 on Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur assembly seats. The by-elections were necessitated due to the deaths of sitting MLAs, both belonging to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U).
The JD(U) has held the Kusheshwar Asthan seat since 2010. The demise in July this year of JD(U) candidate Shashi Bhushan Hazari who had won the 2020 assembly elections, due to illness had necessitated the by-poll.Aman Bhushan Hajari of JD(U) defeated RJD's Ganesh Bharti and Congress's Atirek Kumar in Kusheshwar Asthan reserved seat
Also, Mewalal Chaudhary who had won the Tarapur seat in the 2020 assembly elections passed away due to Covid-19 in April this year. JD(U)'s Rajeev Kumar Singh defeated RJD's Arun Kumar and Congress' Rajesh Kumar Mishra in the Tarapur assembly bypoll.
The by-polls in the two assembly seats have become a battle of prestige for the ruling JD (U) and the main opposition party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav himself campaigned in the Assembly constituencies after he returned to Bihar.
In 2020, the ruling coalition, NDA secured a majority with 125-seats in the 243-seat strong Bihar Legislative Assembly of which BJP won 74 seats, Janata Dal (United) on 43 while eight seats were won by two other NDA constituents. The RJD, on the other hand, emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats while Congress won only 19 of the 70 seats it had contested.
