CPI's Gaya Singh, who was backed by all other UPA constituents including the Congress and Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party stood a poor third (31,915 votes).
Lalu appears to have proved a point in Bhagalpur where his nominee, former Bihar Minister Shakuni Chaudhary, stood second behind BJP winner Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.
In doing so, he bettered CPI-M nominee Subodh Rai, who had the support of both the Congress and Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party .
Chaudhary (1,65,390 votes) lost to Shahnawaz (2,21,001) by just over 55,000 votes but left Rai (79,363 votes), confirming that Lalu Yadav remains the lynch pin of UPA politics in Bihar.
Lalu may now be expected to dictate the course of UPA politics in Bihar with enhanced authority, especially since the Congress had chosen to back the third-place left nominees in both the by-elections at the expense of the RJD.
Source- HT, Dated, November-10,2006