Bihar election results: NDA takes lead in cliffhanger trends, hovers around magic mark
Bihar election 2020: The numbers of the JD(U) may drop to its lowest ever in the last 15 years but that was expected in the face of attack from all sides and opposition from within. But the BJP has put its weight behind and been standing firmly with its alliance partner.
From trailing behind the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led grand alliance, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (United) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is now to hovering around the halfway mark in Bihar Assembly election.
According to trends C Voter update at 13:20 am, the NDA is leading on 126 seats and the grand alliance is ahead in 106 seats. Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party which had walked out of the Bihar alliance, is leading on 3 seats. However, there are many more rounds of counting still to go.
The trend seems to discard the oft-quoted anti-incumbency factor and the belligerent stand of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan that Nitish Kumar will be rejected by the people of Bihar. Paswan had chosen to contest the Bihar Assembly election alone, opting out of the NDA.
Bihar election results: Live updates
As the counting began for 243 Assembly seats in Bihar on Tuesday, JD(U) leaded KC Tyagi said that “Brand Nitish” is still alive. “In the last one year, nothing has harmed brand Nitish or added to brand RJD,” Tyagi told news agency ANI. He was, however, appeared to concede defeat as early leads suggested the RJD-led alliance is ahead of the NDA.
The NDA’s late surge is attributed to strong performance of the BJP which is ahead in 69 of the 110 seats it contested. Its alliance partner the JD(U) is leading in 47 of the 115 seats it contested. In 2015, the BJP had won 53 seats and JD(U) 71.
The numbers of the JD(U) may drop to its lowest ever in the last 15 years but that was expected in the face of attack from all sides and opposition from within. But the BJP has put its weight behind and been standing firmly with its alliance partner to ensure Nitish Kumar - its chief ministerial face this time - gets another term.
The BJP’s campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who addressed 12 rallies in the three-phased Bihar elections, which covered 99 of the 243-member legislative assembly in the state. The polling was held on October 28, November 3 and 7.
In the grand alliance, the RJD is leading in 78 seats and Congress on 23. Last time, Lalu Yadav’s RJD had won 80 seats and Congress 27.
The RJD’s Tej Pratap Yadav is trailing JD(U) candidate Raj Kumar Ray from Hasanpur seat.
Counting of votes polled in Bihar Assembly elections began at 8 am on Tuesday at 55 counting centres across 38 districts of the state.
