Jokihat Assembly Seat

After the Rashtriya Janata Dal wrested the Jokihat Assembly seat from the ruling JD-U in Bihar, a senior Janata Dal-United leader blamed rising prices of petrol and diesel for the drubbing.

The RJD of Lalu Yadav took an early lead in Bihar's Jokihat, where the by-poll is seen as a prestige battle for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after the Janata Dal United lawmaker quit the party and joined the RJD after Mr Kumar joined hands with the BJP last year.

Nitish Kumar deployed half his cabinet and all his political aides in this one assembly seat in east Bihar that votes next week. He figures the outcome in Jokihat will be seen as an indicator of his popularity, and his political capital, which rival Tejashwi Yadav insists, has depleted ever since Mr Kumar swapped his alliance partners after dumping...

After the Rashtriya Janata Dal wrested the Jokihat Assembly seat from the ruling JD-U in Bihar, a senior Janata Dal-United leader blamed rising prices of petrol and diesel for the drubbing.

The RJD of Lalu Yadav took an early lead in Bihar's Jokihat, where the by-poll is seen as a prestige battle for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after the Janata Dal United lawmaker quit the party and joined the RJD after Mr Kumar joined hands with the BJP last year.

Nitish Kumar deployed half his cabinet and all his political aides in this one assembly seat in east Bihar that votes next week. He figures the outcome in Jokihat will be seen as an indicator of his popularity, and his political capital, which rival Tejashwi Yadav insists, has depleted ever since Mr Kumar swapped his alliance partners after dumping...