Purnia Lok Sabha seat: Independent candidate Pappu Yadav leads by over 23,000 votes

Purnia (Bihar) [India], June 4 (ANI): Independent candidate Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, is leading in the Purnea Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar on Tuesday with over 23,000 votes, as per the latest trends from the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Pappu Yadav has been pitted against RJD's Bima Bharti and two-time JD (U) MP Santosh Kushwaha.
JD (U) MP Santosh Kushwaha is trailing with 23847 votes, and RJD's Bima Bharti is trailing with 540436 votes, according to ECI data.
Earlier, Yadav urged all workers to come to the counting centres ready with "kafan," prepared to sacrifice their lives while saving democracy on the day of the counting of votes.
"Agar zabardasti loktantra ki maut hogi, toh Mahabharata ka sangram hoga (If democracy is killed forcefully, a fight like the Mahabharata will commence). To save democracy every worker in Purnea and Bihar should come ready to die tomorrow. Kafan bandh ke aaye (come with your shrouds). Har maathe pe kafan ho (May all of you come with shrouds over your head)," Yadav said in a press conference on Monday.
Yadav also threatened poll officials to keep the process of counting votes transparent, or else, his workers would be ready to do anything out of desperation to save democracy.
Meanwhile, after trends showed RJD leader Misa Bharti leading in Bihar's Patliputra seat, she said that the people have shown faith in what Tejashwi Yadav has done in 17 months.
RJD's Misa Bharti, the daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav, is currently leading from the Patliputra seat, according to ECI data, adding that BJP's Ram Kripal Yadav is trailing behind from the seat.
Overall, in Bihar, the BJP has won seven seats and is leading on five seats, as per the ECI data.
Hindustani Awam Morcha has won the Gaya seat. Janata Dal (United) has four seats and is currently on eight seats, as per the latest ECI data.
Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has one seat and gained the lead on four seats it has contested.RJD is leading by 4 seats, while its ally, Congress has won 1 seat and is leading on two seats, as per ECI data.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, is ahead in 296 seats, while the INDIA bloc is leading in 228 seats, indicating a significant gain, according to the latest trends.
The Congress, which won merely 52 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is currently leading in 98 seats, while the BJP is ahead in 241 seats.
The BJP had won a majority on its own in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It won 282 seats in 2014 and improved its tally to 303 seats in the 2019 elections.
The BJP had set a target of winning 370 seats in the 2024 general elections. The BJP-led NDA, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fought the Lok Sabha elections for a third straight term in office.
The Lok Sabha polls were held in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. (ANI)