By Kaveesha Fernando
BIHAR, India (CWBN) – In a fiercely contested election, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 125 seats – 3 more than the majority required to form the government in Bihar. The NDA win proved exit polls wrong once again – the polls predicted that the alliance would lose in Bihar for the first time in 15 years. However, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won the largest number of seats of any party in the election (75) – winning just 1 seat more than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The victory margins were extremely narrow this time – the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] won Hilsa with a mere 12 vote margin against the RJD.
The BJP secured 74 votes, the JD(U) won 43, the Vikasshel Insan Party (VIP) and the Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular (HAM) bagged 4 seats each to complete the NDA’s 125 seat majority. The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) won 110 seats – the RJD’s 75, 19 from the Indian National Congress, 12 from the Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist Liberation (CPI-ML) and 2 each from the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
A variety of factors were at play during this election – the numbers indicated that women were more likely to support the NDA and that they had a higher voter turnout at the election when compared to male voter turnout. A variety of cash transfer schemes from the government from the start of the pandemic in March also seems to have helped the NDA remain in power – many of the schemes supported women. Similar schemes also benefited farmers and those identified as being in need.
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was accused of emotional blackmail by opponents when he announced that the election would be his last, just days before the election’s last phase – a move which analysts say could have helped the NDA win. Another factor which affected the outcome was Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Although the party won just a single seat, Paswan’s attacks on CM Nitish Kumar have left the JD(U) reeling and is thought to be the reason the party won significantly less seats than in the 2015 election.
The outcome will most likely prove to be positive for the BJP – CM Nitish Kumar and Indian PM Narendra Modi (whose party BJP won 31 more seats than the JD(U) this time) are famously known to have a love-hate relationship. By winning more seats than the JD(U), the BJP gains an edge in negotiations. While the BJP never publicly acknowledged the LJP, experts say that the lack of rapprochement by PM Modi for Chirag Paswan’s continuous attacks on Nitish Kumar could be seen as a tacit nod of approval from the BJP.
Edited by Elishya Perera
