Patna, June 5: Maharajganj jeetein hain, aage bhi jeetenge!

Such slogans rent the air on Beer Chand Patel Marg after RJD’s Prabhunath Singh bagged Maharajganj.

The party’s state unit president, Ram Chandra Purbey, did not miss the opportunity to beat drums with his party workers, occasionally stopping to distribute Motichur ke ladoo to the supporters. Smeared in green, red and yellow gulal, the partymen burst crackers outside the office and offered sweets to passersby.

The RJD office had not seen such display of colour and show even during Holi earlier this year.

RJD workers began pouring in at the party office from 8am and remained glued to their seats till news channels flashed a hope for Prabhunath. As soon as news channels showed the RJD candidate leading by over 27,000 votes in the fourth round, party workers jumped from their chairs and heralded that the celebrations should begin.

Rajya Sabha member Ram Kripal Yadav was the first to offer sweets to party workers. In return, everyone hugged him. The workers did not miss a chance to put tika on the forehead of the RJD leader.

“We are having such a celebration at the party office after a gap of almost four years. We did not get an opportunity to celebrate all these days, but today is our day. The fight was between Laluji and Nitish. We have defeated him by a huge margin,” said RJD youth president Shiv Chandra Ram.

At the party offices of the JD(U), the BJP and the Congress, the mood was, obviously, a study in contrast. The JD(U) and BJP offices being just about 500m from the RJD’s, the difference was stark as the two other offices sported a pale look.

When The Telegraph visited the JD(U) office, not a single leader was present there. On usual days, at least 10-15 workers are seen chatting in the office. However today, the ground floor office was locked and the campus was empty.

Asked about the deserted look, a JD(U) activist said: “Since morning, nobody has come. You can see that the main office is locked. It is the impact of the Maharajganj bypoll result. Otherwise, the office is always full of people. There are a few people upstairs, watching television and analysing the reason behind the defeat.”

Around 1.25pm, when former JD(U) MP Upendra Kushwaha, who has recently formed a new political outfit, the Rashtriya Lok Samta party, was seen walking past the JD(U) office with his supporters.

Kushwaha’s supporters stood outside the JD(U) office and with a hint of sarcasm said: “Itna sannata kyun hai bhai (Why is this place so quiet?)”, borrowing a line made famous by late actor A.K. Hangal in the 1975 cult movie Sholay.

A few meters ahead, while crossing the RJD office, Kushwaha’s supporters waved at the jubilant RJD workers, who too, responded with equal enthusiasm.

At the BJP office, the mood was a bit different. More than the JD(U) losing the Maharajganj battle, it was the bypoll results in Gujarat the workers were most interested in. The ruling BJP swept all six seats — two Lok Sabha and four Assembly — in Gujarat.

Sadaquat Ashram, the state headquarters of the Congress, too wore a deserted look. Congress spokesperson Premchandra Mishra was the only one found sitting in the office.

On the performance of their candidate, Jitendra Swami, in the Maharajganj bypoll, Mishra said: “If the Congress has to survive in Bihar, we first have to build a caste equation to face parties like the RJD and the JD(U). It is a long-term process and it will not happen in just 15 to 20 days of campaigning. It is a huge challenge for the Congress.”