Patna, Feb 16 (IANS) The opposition Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) on Tuesday won Bihar's Harlakhi legislative assembly by-election, officials here said.
Sudhansu Sekhar won the seat, defeating Congress candidate Mohammad Shabbir by over 18,000 votes. The Congress is part of the ruling Grand Alliance of Janata Dal-United and Rashtriya Janata Dal.
The RLSP was backed by the BJP-led NDA comprising of the Lok JanShakti Party of union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Hindustan Awami Morcha of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.
The result of Harlakhi assembly by-elections that went in favour of the BJP-led NDA is seen as a setback to the ruling Grand Alliance.
State JD-U president Vashsisht Narain Singh refused to comment on the poll defeat.
The election was necessitated by the death RLSP legislator Basant Kumar Kushwaha a few hours ahead of the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected legislators at the Bihar legislative assembly in November 2015.
The RLSP fielded Kushwaha's son Sudhansu Sekhar in the by-poll.
