PTI

Patna, May 23: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati's magic of cornering the combined votes of Dalits and Brahmins on the lines of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections did not click in Bihar as the voters outrightly rejected the party.

Of the 39 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state which the BSP contested, its candidates forfeited their security deposits in every constituency except for two.

Controversial former MP Anwarul Haque, who left the LJP and contested the Sheohar Lok Sabha seat on the BSP ticket, polled 1,07,815 votes and remained first runner up. He was defeated by Rama Devi of the BJP who polled 2,33,499 votes.

Another party candidate, Shyam Lal Singh Kushwaha too managed to save his security deposits by polling 1,27,145 votes in Buxar and stood third.

The hopes of BSP performing better in constituencies like Gopalganj, Valmikinagar and Buxar bordering Uttar Pradesh on the basis of Dalit-Brahmin support base was dashed as the caste equation the party was banking on collapsed against the development plank of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Gandhi Azad, BSP general secretary and in-charge Bihar affairs, considered close to Mayawati was humbled in Sasaram. Azad, a Rajya Sabha MP could manage only 96,616 votes and forfeited his security deposits. He was defeated by Meira Kumar of the Congress who polled 1,92,213 votes.