Twitter
Advertisement

JD(U)-BJP combine sweep Bihar, wins four-fifth majority

While Nitish Kumar's JD(U) got 115 seats, its ally BJP secured 91 in the 243-member House. They had got 88 and 55 respectively in the last elections. The new government will take oath on Friday at the Gandhi Maidan.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

In what could be termed as the coming of age of Indian democracy, the politics of development registered a resounding victory over the politics of caste in testing ground Bihar on Wednesday when the Janata Dal(U)-BJP combine led by chief minister Nitish Kumar received an emphatic renewed mandate to continue in office.

The ruling combine bagged 206 seats out of 243 — a clear 3/4th majority— while Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance took a severe battering with just 25 seats. For the Congress, which contested alone, Rahul Gandhi’s magic failed to work as it ended with just four seats.

The other factor that played out in these elections is that 55% women voted as compared to 51% men. If it can be assumed that women voted for Nitish Kumar in greater numbers than men, then they clearly added to the leader’s advantage.

“This is Bihar’s nayi kahani,” said a typically calm Nitish. “Voters had to choose between progress and antiquated politics. They have chosen to surge ahead,” he said, adding the new government will take oath on Friday. The JD(U) won 115 seats on its own, while its electoral ally BJP snapped up 91.

“This victory (of NDA) proves that there will be no space for politics of caste in the 21st century. The only politics possible is that of progress and development,” BJP president Nitin Gadkari said. His party increased its tally significantly from 55 in the last elections.    

Congress president Sonia Gandhi candidly admitted that her party was not expecting to make big inroads in the assembly polls. “As far as our party is concerned, we did not have much hope…The results obviously indicate that our party has to start from scratch to rebuild itself,” Gandhi told reporters in Delhi.

The party’s campaign managers, however, are stunned by the magnitude of the rout. It was for the first time in the last 20 years that the Congress had contested the Bihar elections on its own.

But the Congress leadership also does not accept that the Bihar outcome reflects on the vote-catching ability of Rahul Gandhi, as alleged by the BJP. “He has a pan-India appeal. His pull extends to all sections of the society. But then the responsibility of converting his attraction into votes and seats rests with the party organisation at the state and district levels. This support was totally absent in Bihar,” said a party general secretary.
With PTI inputs

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement