Gaya (Bihar) [India], November 14 (ANI): As the counting of votes for the Bihar Assembly elections began, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Vishvanath Yadav on Friday expressed confidence in his party’s prospects, asserting that “Tejashwi’s government is coming in Bihar.”
The RJD leader emphasised that public sentiment is strongly in favour of change, signalling a possible shift in the state’s political landscape.
Speaking to reporters in Gaya, RJD leader said, “There is support from everyone, and there is a feeling of change in Bihar, and Tejashwi’s government is coming. When it comes to Gaya, the Gaya district is always lucky for the RJD party. When nobody supported RJD, people of the Gaya district always supported us.”
The remarks come as vote counting for the 243-member Bihar Assembly begins today, following two phases of polling on November 6 and 11.
RJD, led by Tejashwi Yadav, has been actively campaigning across Bihar, highlighting developmental issues and promising governance reforms. Analysts suggest that voter turnout and regional dynamics in key constituencies will be crucial in determining the election outcome.
The counting process is underway across districts, with results expected to be declared later in the day.
The process began at 8 am today, with postal ballot counting starting first, followed by EVM counting at 8:30 am.
Bihar recorded a historic 67.13% voter turnout, the highest since 1951, with women voters outpacing men (71.6% vs 62.8%).
Elaborate security arrangements are in place, with 4,372 counting tables and over 18,000 counting agents overseeing the process.
Most exit polls predict a comfortable victory for the NDA, with some projecting the Mahagathbandhan to win.
According to the ECI’s official press note, 2,616 candidates and 12 recognised political parties participated in the two-phase polls on November 6 and 11, and none requested repolling in any constituency.
The main election contest in the Bihar elections is between the National Democratic Alliance, led by CM Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav’s Mahagathbandhan.
In the 2020 election, the NDA secured a majority in the assembly and won 125 seats, with Nitish Kumar again taking oath as Chief Minister. However, in August 2022, Nitish Kumar broke the alliance with the BJP and resigned as Chief Minister, forming a government with the RJD-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan.
He had emerged as a key figure in the formation of the combined opposition INDIA bloc. However, Kumar’s romance with the RJD lasted for less than two years, and in January 2024, ahead of the parliamentary polls, Kumar returned to the NDA.
BJP improved its position between the 2015 and 2020 polls. It won 53 of 157 seats it contested in 2015 and 74 of 110 seats in 2020. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has also shown a strong performance, having won 80 of the 101 seats it contested in 2015 and 75 of the 144 seats it put up candidates in during the 2020 polls.
JD-U saw a dip in its performance in the last two polls. It won 71 seats of 101 it contested in 2015 and 43 of 115 in 2020. Congress also saw a decline in performance from 27 seats it won in 2015 to 19 in 2020. (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
HINDI, MARATHI, GUJARATI, TAMIL, TELUGU, BENGALI, KANNADA, ORIYA, PUNJABI, URDU, MALAYALAM
For more details and packages
