JDU blames petrol, diesel price rise for BJP’s debacle in Lok Sabha, Assembly bypolls

RJD’s Sarfaraz Alam defeated Murshid Alam of the JDU by more than 40,000 votes in Jokihat Assembly constituency in Bihar.

As the results of byelections in four Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) succumbing to opposition unity in most places, its ally Janata Dal United (JDU) blamed the incessant recent hike in petrol and diesel prices.

Speaking to news agency ANI, senior JDU leader KC Tyagi said that “constant rise in the price of fuel” is a reason for the results. He said, “There is outrage across the country due to increase in price of petrol & diesel. Constant rise in the price of fuel is also a reason for such poll results. Therefore, hike should be immediately rolled back.”

This came after the JDU was defeated by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Shahnawaz Alam, brother of Sarfaraz Alam, who had quit Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s party after it parted ways with the RJD and the Congress and formed an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

RJD’s Sarfaraz Alam defeated Murshid Alam of the JDU by more than 40,000 votes in Jokihat Assembly seat in Bihar.

Reacting to the victory of the RJD, former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said, "The number of votes JDU got, is less than our victory margin. People of Bihar are continuing to avenge the u-turn taken by Nitish Kumar."

Out of the 10 Assembly constituencies that went to bypoll on May 28, the BJP and its allies managed to win just one seat – Tharali in Uttarakhand.