November 11, 2020 4:02:54 am
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen sharing days with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar at a rally in Gaya. (PTI file photo)
CHALLENGING MOST of the exit polls that predicted its defeat, the BJP-JD (U) NDA alliance is poised to retain power in Bihar, with the BJP emerging as the dominant partner, according to Tuesday’s election results. of the Assembly held in three phases during the last two weeks.
As demands from Covid pushed the count into the wee hours of the night, the NDA and the opposition-led RJD Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance were heading towards a photographic end. Finally, with trends taking hold at 11 p.m., the NDA advanced with victories and leaders totaling 125 seats to the Grand Alliance’s 110 in the 243-member Assembly.
For the NDA, Nitish Kumar 4.0 still looks likely despite the JD (U) slide to 43 seats, according to the latest projections, but the big takeaway was the rise of the BJP to become the largest party in the alliance with 74 seats. , and the role played by the LJP, which separated from the alliance in the state weeks before the polls, in nicking the JD (U).
Led by Chirag Paswan, after the death of his father Ram Vilas Paswan days before the elections, the LJP managed to win only one of the 137 seats it contested, its worst performance since its creation in October 2000. But its presence as a separatist element , which put candidates against the JD (U) and not the BJP, strongly hit the chances of the JD (U) by around 75 seats.
Political observers in Bihar said that the LJP has completed its “task” of damaging the JD (U) and that the political future of Chirag Paswan “will now depend on the BJP.”
Paswan was relentless in his attacks on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during the campaign and did not back down even when the votes were counted on Tuesday. “I did not lose courage in difficult times. When it came to contesting the polls just for the pride of Bihar, it didn’t make me nervous. There are some people who have to be helped by three allies to stay in power despite being in power for 15 years, ”he posted on Twitter in Hindi.
But with the “silent support” for Nitish Kumar from the extremely backward classes (EBC) and the women voters who count in favor of the alliance, the next question for the NDA is his future as Chief Minister. Sources from JD (U) and BJP are sure he will stay, at least for now.
“We always talk about our silent EBC and women voters, who were not taken into account in opinion polls or exit polls,” said Jagnarayan Singh, former member of the Bihar OBC Commission.
JD (U) senior leader and former Bihar EBC Commission chairman Udaykant Choudhary had said before the third phase that the majority of EBC voters were still in the NDA. Even the Union Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, had reiterated that as long as the NDA had the confidence of the EBC and women voters, it would enjoy an advantage over the Grand Alliance.
In essence, what the 2020 Assembly results reiterated was that despite his government running out of new ideas for governance and slippage in Covid management, the good work previously done by Nitish Kumar in construction of roads and bridges, and in bringing energy to villages, continues to influence. voters.
JD (U) national spokesperson, KC Tyagi, said: “Our leader Nitish Kumar was fired after the exit poll results, but he proved once again that good governance is always a winning plan. Any senior minister can face a bit of anti-incumbency after serving the state for three terms, but Nitish Kumar fought successfully alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “
Indeed, Nitish Kumar could follow in the footsteps of Bihar’s chief prime minister, Dr. Srikrishna Singh, to enter a fourth consecutive term in office, if Singh’s term as the state’s prime minister before independence is included.
And yet there is a big difference between the Nitish Kumar of 2010 and 2020. In 2010, the NDA under his command won 206 out of 243 seats and only his party won 115. In 2020, he faces the situation of being dictated by a senior . alliance partner.
But sources said the BJP will be cautious in dealing with Nitish Kumar, as JD (U), RJD, Congress and the Left together would have the numbers to form a government. “The BJP will not do anything that could harm Nitish Kumar. We may well be a junior partner, but the choice was fought under your leadership. Nitish Kumar will continue to be indispensable to BJP, ”said a leader from JD (U).
BJP sources said that while Nitish Kumar will remain the Chief Minister, the national party “will have a great voice” in the formation of the government. “Unlike previous governments with Nitish, the BJP can prevail. We have almost made Bihar politics bipolar. Once Nitish Kumar is out of the political scene, it is BJP versus RJD in Bihar, ”said the leader.
On another level, what this election reinforced was how the NDA’s “social mix” overcame a wave of anti-incumbency the RJD was betting on.
On the ground, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav appeared to connect well with voters through his 251 public gatherings, drawing large crowds and causing a stir with his promise of 10 lakh jobs. But he was faced with the question of what his party would bring to the table in addition to his traditional Muslim-Yadav speech.
By comparison, the NDA proved once again that in Bihar, when two polar opposites come together in politics, the loser is always a third. This has become a proven formula in Bihar during the last four Assembly elections, the last one in 2015, when Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar joined forces and the BJP lost.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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