- Pushpam Priya lost the election in Darbhanga, finishing eighth with 1,403 votes
- BJP's Sanjay Saraogi won Darbhanga with a 24,593-vote margin over VIP's Umesh Sahani
- Pushpam Priya alleged EVM rigging and vote manipulation in her constituency
Pushpam Priya Choudhary, who heads the lesser-known Plurals Party in Bihar, had vowed to wear a mask in public until she wins an election. The day hasn't arrived yet. She suffered a massive defeat in Darbhanga, with the young leader raising EVM rigging charges against the BJP.
The BJP's Sanjay Saraogi retained the Darbhanga seat with 97,453 votes, while Umesh Sahani of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) finished second with 72,860 votes. The victory margin was 24,593 votes. Pushpam Priyam Choudhary finished eighth with just 1,403 votes, trailing Saraogi by 96,050 votes.
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Pushpam Priya founded 'The Plurals Party' in 2020 with the aim to introduce Bihar to a new brand of politics that transcends religious and caste lines. The party contested all 243 seats in the state on the 'whistle' symbol but failed to open its account.
Seen only in black attire and a mask, Pushpam Priya had made a vow to remove her mask only after she wins an election. While she is yet to comment on her and her party's drubbing, she raised allegations of EVM rigging in an online post. She claimed that even the votes of her relatives and neighbours were "transferred to the BJP candidate." Calling this a "clear proof" of vote manipulation, she sought to know where their votes went.
"Voters are stunned—where did their votes go? Even at booths where hundreds of votes were received, the count is only 0-2 to 5-7! The same pattern at every booth! Statistically impossible too! Perhaps whoever was tasked with manipulating the EVMs wasn't even told that this time I'm contesting the election from my hometown, where I have thousands of counted votes. This time, you've made a big mistake," she said, tagging the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Who is Pushpam Priya?
Pushpam Priya is the daughter of former JDU lawmaker Vinod Kumar Choudhary. Her grandfather, Professor Umakant Choudhary, was a close associate of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and one of the founding members of the Samata Party. Her uncle, Vinay Kumar Choudhary, is a JDU leader who won from Benipur in the 2020 assembly elections.
An emerging young leader with master's degrees from the University of Sussex and the London School of Economics, she started her career as a consultant in Bihar's tourism and health departments before moving to politics.
Pushpam Priya's party contested 148 seats in 2020 but lost in all.
