As NDA clinches Bihar, posters of PM Modi, Nitish Kumar out in Patna
On Monday, a day before counting of votes for Bihar Assembly election, workers of the Rashtriya Janata Dal had put out posters of party leader Tejashwi Yadav, as the exit polls had projected a win for the grand alliance.
After Bihar’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) clinched a hard-fought victory over the opposition Mahagathbandhan or grand alliance, posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Nitish Kumar were put outside the offices of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) respectively, in Patna.
The BJP’s posters thanked the people of Bihar. “People trust only those who are honest and hard working,” said a poster with PM Modi’s face on it.
JD(U) posters, meanwhile, proclaimed “development is visible” and “Nitish Kumar once again.”
The scenes on Wednesday morning were in complete contrast to that on Monday - a day before the counting of votes - when enthusiastic workers of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had put out posters of party leader Tejashwi Yadav, who was the chief ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan.
Yadav turned 31 on November 9 and would have been the youngest chief minister of any state in the country. As majority of exit polls gave an edge to the Mahagathbandhan over the NDA, with one even forecasting a sweeping win for the RJD-led alliance, the posters congratulated Yadav and wished a very happy birthday to the “first young chief minister-to be of Bihar.”
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A Mahagathbandhan win would have also made Yadav the third chief minister from his family, after parents Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi.
Also Read | Exit poll effect?: Posters declare Tejashwi Yadav Bihar CM day before counting of votes
However, on the counting day, while the Mahagathbandhan took an early lead, the NDA turned the tables as the day progressed. The Mahagathbandhan managed to close the gap later on, but the NDA was eventually announced as the winner by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Also, the ECI has already dismissed the opposition alliance’s allegations of electoral “fraud” against chief minister Kumar.
The NDA’s final tally stands at 125, two more than the majority mark of 122 in the 243-member Bihar assembly. Of these, the BJP has won 74 seats, the JD(U) 43, Vikassheel Insaan Party (4) and Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (4).
Also Read | Bihar assembly election 2020 result in numbers: Which party won how many seats
In the Mahagathbandhan, the RJD, which emerged as the single-largest party ahead of the BJP, won 75 seats. The Congress and the Left parties, meanwhile, contributed 19 and 16 seats respectively to the alliance’s tally of 110 seats.
