Elections 98

State:	Bihar
Constituency:	Chhapra
Total Votes Polled:	745,111
Winner: RJD	Heera Lal Rai	331,591
Runner Up: BJP	Rajiv Pratap Rudi	322,264
Margin: 9,327 (3%)

Elections 96

State:	Bihar
Constituency:	Chhapra
Total Votes Polled:	715,458
Winner: BJP	Rajiv Pratap Rudi	339,086
Runner Up: JD	Lal Babu Rai	323,590
Margin: 15,496 (2.18%)

In 1996 the BJP cornered 47.80 % of the vote and won; the Congress's share of the popular vote was 1.76 %. The BJP's performance was all the more creditable, since in the previous elections it had won just 4.1 % of the vote and came in fifth.