Anil Kumar Jha has been declared elected from the Darbhanga Graduates constituency in the Bihar MLC election, giving the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) a win in the Bihar Legislative Council. The Election Commission confirmed his victory over sitting BJP MLC Sarvesh Kumar. The result raises the RJD’s overall strength in the state Upper House to 17 members.
Jha secured 25,406 votes, while Kumar received 21,396. The contest was one of eight seats decided in the biennial polls. The seats comprised four graduates’ constituencies and four teachers’ constituencies.
The RJD has won two of the eight seats, improving its position in the council. Its other victory came in the Patna Teachers constituency, where RJD candidate Sanjeev Kumar defeated sitting BJP MLC Nawal Kishor Yadav.
The Darbhanga seat had been held by the BJP, making Jha’s win a gain for the opposition party. The BJP remains the largest group in the 75-member Legislative Council with 24 members, while the JD(U) has 20. The RJD is the third-largest party with 17 seats.
The election used preference-based ballots. Voters rank candidates in order, and if no one reaches the required quota, ballots from eliminated candidates can transfer to another candidate according to the next listed preference. In Darbhanga, counting continued through later stages before the Election Commission formally declared Jha elected.
For the RJD, the result confirms gains in two former BJP-held constituencies and increases its voice in the council. The Darbhanga Graduates result remains a key part of Bihar’s 2026 MLC election outcome.

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