JD(U) Selects Kaladhar Prasad Mandal for Rupauli By-Election After Bima Bharti's Exit

The JD(U) has announced Kaladhar Prasad Mandal as its candidate for the Rupauli by-election, following Bima Bharti's resignation. Bharti had previously won the seat three times but lost her deposit in the Lok Sabha polls as an RJD candidate. Mandal’s candidature has been approved by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

The Janata Dal (United) has selected Kaladhar Prasad Mandal as its candidate for the Rupauli assembly constituency by-election. This decision follows the resignation of Bima Bharti, a multiple-term MLA, and comes amid significant political realignments ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

State JD(U) president Umesh Singh Kushwaha made the announcement, noting that Mandal had contested against Bharti in the 2020 assembly elections as an independent candidate. Bharti, after securing the Rupauli seat three times, resigned from the JD(U) to join the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and contest from Purnea, where she lost her deposit and finished third.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the national president of JD(U), approved Mandal's candidature, driven by the high concentration of the Gangotas in Rupauli, an extremely backward class both Bharti and Mandal belong to. The by-election voting is scheduled for July 10, following nomination submissions by June 21.