New Delhi: The Chapra constituency in Bihar’s Saran district is witnessing a high-profile electoral contest between BJP candidate Chhoti Kumari and RJD’s Shatrughan Yadav, popularly known as Khesari Lal Yadav. Counting of votes for the Bihar Assembly Election 2025 began at 8 am on Friday, and the mid-day trends indicate a sweeping victory for the NDA alliance.
In the first round of counting, Chhoti Kumari secured a narrow lead of 974 votes, but with 28 total rounds, the contest remains wide open. As per the latest update, in the 7th round of counting, the BJP candidate has widened the gap, polling 18,555 votes, while RJD’s Khesari Lal Yadav follows with 16,461 votes. All other contestants, including JSP’s Jai Prakash Singh, ASP(K)’s Shak Naushad, BLCP’s Rajesh Kushwaha, BED’s Gyani Kumar Sharma, and several Independent candidates, are trailing significantly.
Chapra constituency battle: BJP stronghold since decade
Chapra, a general category seat and part of the Saran Lok Sabha constituency, has been a BJP stronghold for a decade. Dr CN Gupta won the seat for the party in both 2015 and 2020, defeating RJD’s Randhir Kumar Singh in the last election with 75,710 votes to Singh’s 68,939. The constituency has consistently recorded voter turnouts above 52 per cent.
This year’s contest drew heightened interest with Bhojpuri star Khesari Lal Yadav entering the fray as the RJD candidate. The 39-year-old actor-singer, educated up to Class 10, faces one criminal case as per MyNeta declarations. BJP’s Chhoti Kumari, aged 35 and a Class 12 pass, has listed social service as her profession.
With only a fraction of the counting completed, Chapra remains one of the key seats to watch as the day progresses.