Bihar has voted in its toughest political battle and the results are set to be declared on November 8. The parties went all out with months of electioneering to reach out to the remotest of voters across the state. While there were many stakeholders, the battle was centred around two faces – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
However, as to who will form the government in Bihar, or whether the state will have a hung Assembly, will be known only on Sunday (November 8) when the votes will be counted.
Lalu Prasad says even if RJD gets more seats than JD(U), Nitish Kumar will be the Bihar Chief Minister.
Addressing a press conference, RJD chief Lalu Prasad says the BJP tried to polarise the state in the run-up to elections. “Narendra Modi ne jo Bihariyon ko gaali dia, aur mujhe ‘shaitan’ kaha, uska logon ne serious notice lia,” says Lalu.
“Our leader is Narendra Modi and he will campaign for us everywhere. We will win some and lose some. We are winning in Bihar,” said the BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
The BJP, which hopes to unseat the Nitish Kumar government, assesses that a higher voter turnout means a vote for change.
The Nitish Kumar camp contends that a higher voter turnout means that people want to ensure the BJP is kept away. It also claims that Bihar’s women firmly back Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The BJP projected no one as chief minister and its campaign was fronted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who addressed over 30 rallies in the state. The party has tied up with three regional parties.
Winning Bihar is crucial for the BJP, which needs to boost its numbers in the Rajya Sabha or Upper House of Parliament, the members of which are elected by legislators in states. The Narendra Modi government is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha and has found it tough to push through key reforms.
The results of the News 24-Today’s Chanakya exit poll is out and it has predicted a resounding win for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance:
NDA: 155 (+-11)
JD(U)+: 83 (+-9)
Others: 5 (+-3)
Results of two more exit polls are out:
News Nation:
NDA: 115-119
JD(U)+: 120-124
Others: 3-5
CNX/News X exit poll:
NDA: 90-100
JD(U)+: 130-140
Others: 13-23
The consolidated results of ABP-Nielsen exit poll are now out and Grand Alliance is ahead:
NDA: 108
JD(U)+: 130
Others: 5
