2 min readPatnaMay 14, 2026 07:56 PM ISTThe Legislative Council bypoll in the Ara–Buxar seat saw six candidates in the fray — four independent candidates apart from Sonu Rai (in photo) and Kanhaiya Seth. (Photo: Facebook/Sonu Rai)RJD candidate Sonu Rai defeated JD(U) candidate Kanhaiya Seth in Ara–Buxar MLC by-election. The seat had fallen vacant after Radha Charan Seth was elected MLA in the 2025 Assembly polls.It was touted as a battle of prestige for the NDA in wake of its thumping victory in the last elections when it won 202 out of 243 Assembly seats.It was also a head-on collision between two political scions — Sonu Rai, the son of former RJD MLC Lal Babu Rai, and Kanhaiya Seth, the son of JD(U) MLA Radha Charan Seth. Radha Charan Seth had held this twice previously. Seth and his son had been in the news recently following raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department, and subsequent investigations against them.The Legislative Council bypoll in the Ara–Buxar seat saw six candidates in the fray — four independent candidates apart from Rai and Seth. The total electorate in the seat is 6,086 voters. Sonu Rai won by a margin of 407 votes.Sonu Rai also serves as the president of the Ara Ramlila Committee. He is the son-in-law of former Sandesh seat MLA Vijender Yadav.Bihar has long seen a close competition between the two families. In the last Assembly elections, Radha Charan Shah defeated RJD’s Deepu Yadav by only 27 votes, and was elected the MLA from the Sandesh seat. Deepu Yadav’s family, including his parents Arun Yadav and Kiran Devi, have previously held the MLA office in the district.Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:BiharAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementLive BlogJustice Sharma decides to not hear excise case, to continue with contempt action against Kejriwal, others10 seconds agoWBCHSE West Bengal HS Result 2026 Live Updates: 64 students feature in top 10 merit list6 minutes agoWBCHSE West Bengal HS 12th Result 2026, Wbchse.wb.gov.in LIVE: Adrito Paul tops Uchch Madhyamik HS Result6 minutes agoNews Today Live Updates, 14 May | Bomb-like device found inside Pune hospital: Man in CCTV footage turns up before police, says innocent; attempt to murder case lodged14 minutes agoTrump-Xi Summit LIVE: Xi says US-China relations ‘must not be messed up’ as Trump calls him ‘my friend’23 minutes ago