JDU-BJP Alliance NDA Leads in Bihar Election

WEB DESK: The counting of votes for the 243-seat Bihar assembly is currently underway. The JD(U)-BJP is leading the number, however it was tough fight between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which constitutes JD (U) and BJP and the Mahagathbandhan, which constitutes the RJD, the Congress and the Left parties. 

According to the latest reports, the Janata Dal United (JD-U) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s election alliance NDA is leading with 125 seats, while Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Indian National Congress (INC) Mahagathbandhan has won 105 seats.

The majority mark in the 243-seat Bihar assembly is 122.

The voting for the three-phase assembly elections concluded on November 7 with 57% turnout. The election campaign witnessed a tough fight between the incumbent Nitish Kumar from JD(U) and the Tejashwi Yadav from RJD.

Currently the RJD is leading with 75 seats, the BJP is following it with 67 seats, the JD(U) is 48, the Congress is 22 and the Left parties are 9 seats, meanwhile, the LJP has won 7 seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given the best performance in the current elections with 67 seats. The BJP is likely to emerge as senior partner within the NDA for the very first time in Bihar, a state where it has never had a Chief Minister.

According to the results, It has won 14 more seats so far than in the last elections in 2015.The BJP gain in Bihar shows that the extremist and Hindu nationalist rhetoric of the Bharatiya Janata Party is becoming more and more popular and gaining momentum in India.

Meanwhile, RJD, JD (U) and INC have lost seats in current election as compared to last time in 2015.

If the trend continues, this result may deprive Nitish Kumar of Big Brother status in the alliance and he may emerge greatly diminished. Whether he can take chief ministership for granted – or whether he will want to rule as junior partner — are questions for later.

This time round, the Bihar campaign was prickly for the decades-old allies.

In 2015, Nitish Kumar had fought with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Yadav and Congress. Two years before that, he had broken off ties with long-time ally BJP over its projection of Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate.

Nitish Kumar held out when the BJP came to power at the centre with a massive mandate for Narendra Modi.

But his alliance with the RJD and Congress soured quickly and in the middle of 2017, he resigned, dumped his partners and reembraced the BJP.

Picture Courtesy: India.com and Hindustan Times.