E-Paper
Congress' Rajesh Kumar faces deficit in vote race against HAM's Lalan Ram in Kutumba
Seeking re-election for a third consecutive term, Congress nominated Rajesh Kumar Ram, won the Kutumba seat in the 2015 and 2020 Bihar state assembly elections.
Congress' Rajesh Kumar Ram, the state-unit president of the party in Bihar, as its candidate in the Kutumba assembly constituency is trailing behind Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM)'s Lalan Ram by a margin of 9,260 votes as of 16th round of counting, pulling Mahagathbandhan back to trail behind NDA in 2025 Bihar assembly elections.
Other contestors of Kutumba assembly include Ram Janam Ram of Aazad Samaj Party, Shyambali Ram of Jan Suraaj Party, Prakash Kumar of Bahujan Samaj Party, Angad Kumar of Gana Suraksha Party and Rima Kumari of Rashtrawadi Janlok Party.
The Kutumba Assembly is part of the Aurangabad district and is reserved for the Scheduled Caste.
The Bihar assembly elections were held in two phases; the first phase of polling took place on November 6, followed by the second on November 11. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.
The Congress contested the election in Bihar as part of the opposition Mahagathbandhan led by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav.
Who is Rajesh Ram?
Rajesh Ram is the state-unit president of the Indian National Congress (INC) in Bihar and a contestant in the Bihar Assembly elections 2025.
A sitting MLA, Rajesh Ram, won the Kutumba seat in the 2015 and 2020 Bihar state assembly elections and is now seeking re-election for a third consecutive term.
Ram began his political journey by winning the SC-reserved Kutumba seat in 2015. He scored the seat again in the 2020 elections with an increased vote share and a winning margin.
Rajesh Ram is a prominent Dalit leader in Bihar and is considered close to Rahul Gandhi. He is also the son of Dilkeshwar Ram, the well-known Dalit leader in Bihar politics.
He was nominated as the Bihar Congress unit chief after replacing Akhilesh Prasad Singh, a move described as a calculated attempt by the Congress party to consolidate Dalit support in the state.
Bihar assembly election 2025
In the first phase, Bihar recorded over 60 per cent polling, higher than the overall voting percentage recorded in the previous three assembly polls.
Altogether 121 constituencies went to the polls in the first phase of the assembly election held in the state on Thursday after the conclusion of the Special Intensive Roll of the electoral list.
