Mokama bypoll result 2022: 'It was just a formality', says RJD's Neelam Devi after victory

Mokama assembly constituency in Bihar fell vacant following the disqualification of Neelam Devi's husband and RJD MLA Anant Singh after his conviction in an Arms Act case.

New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Neelam Devi on Sunday (November 6, 2022) won the bypoll to the Mokama assembly constituency in Bihar and said that it was "just a formality" as she said that her victory was "certain". As per the latest figures available on Election Commission's website, Neelam Devi won by over 16,000 votes against Bhartiya Janata Party's Sonam Devi. While Neelam polled 79,744 votes, Sonam Devi got 63,003. The Mokama seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Neelam Devi's husband and RJD MLA Anant Singh after his conviction in an Arms Act case.

"My victory was certain. I had already said there was nobody else in my contest. It was just a formality. Mokama is the land of Parshuram, people won't get lured. Vidhayak ji (Anant Singh) served people. They're giving the result now," Neelam Devi said after her victory.

Mokama, notably, has been the stronghold of Anant Singh since 2015, who has won the seat twice on JD(U) tickets and fought as an RJD candidate in the 2020 elections and retained the seat. He, however, was disqualified from the assembly following his conviction in the criminal case.

Meanwhile, the BJP is currently ahead in the Gopalganj Assembly seat, where its candidate Kusum Devi has taken a lead over RJD's Mohan Prasad Gupta. The by-election in Gopalganj was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Subhash Singh.

Of the 6.10 lakh voters -- Gopalganj (3.31 lakh) and Mokama (2.70 lakh) - 52.3 per cent had exercised their franchise in the two seats on November 3, he said. A total of 619 polling booths were set up in the two constituencies.

Fifteen candidates are in the fray -- nine in Gopalganj and six in Mokama.

This was the first electoral face-off between the ruling Grand Alliance and the opposition BJP in Bihar after the change of government in August this year, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party JD-U snapped ties with the saffron party and aligned with Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD-led coalition, comprising Congress and other parties, to form a new government.