With counting underway in the Bihar assembly elections, the ruling NDA has so far emerged with a lead in 166 seats, surpassing the majority mark of 122 in the 243-seat bypoll fight.
With the opposition INDIA bloc being ahead in 56 constituencies, the party began asserting confidence in their prospects in the elections.
However, BJP MLA and party candidate, Sanjeev Chaurasiya, said that the alliance was confident of retaining power. “The NDA will form the government in Bihar again. We will win with a very good majority. People of Bihar trust the double-engine government. And the fact that not a single booth has required recounting, which only proves the ground situation,” he said.
Echoing his sentiment was JD(U) spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, who claimed that the early trends reflected public endorsement of the ruling coalition. “Just as the sun rose today, Bihar will also shine brighter and move forward. It will not move towards destruction,” he said.
Claiming the electorate would “reject those responsible for creating social tension”, Kumar asserted that those “who spread crime and social tension” will be “reduced to ashes in the heat of the people’s mandate”.
“The public will give us the inner strength to continue the work of development, and they will reject destructive forces,” he added, attributing the NDA’s early leads to schemes introduced by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Also Read: Bihar polls: NDA takes early lead, say TV reports
“Nitish Kumar ji will remain Chief Minister as long as he wishes. His will, the people’s aspiration and the NDA’s resolve are aligned,” he said, countering RJD leader and opposition chief ministerial face, Tejashwi Yadav’s assertion that “change is certain”.
On the other hand, Congress MP Manoj Kumar, maintained that people in the state were looking for political change. “People will surely bring change in Bihar,” he said, adding that early trends were not an accurate reflection of the final outcome.
“The sentiment for change that we saw across the state is strong. Early trends never reveal the whole picture,” he insisted.
On similar lines, RJD party leader Mrityunjay Tiwari told reporters that his party expected the trends to shift as counting progressed.
“The initial trends show a close contest. But in many places, the Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc in local parlance) is ahead. Within one or two hours, it will be clear that we are forming the government in Bihar. We are fully confident,” he declared.
Neeraj Kumar dismissed Tejashwi’s late-night message warning officials against alleged irregularities, saying, “If there is any complaint, go to the Election Commission. It is a constitutional institution. Politics is not done through Twitter or Facebook. Comfortable, air-conditioned politics does not build opposition movements.”
“His father has been claiming that they are coming to power since 2005. What happened? In 2019, they conceded a defeat. In 2020, a grim defeat. In 2024, a decisive defeat. Defeat after defeat. Which leader will accept a wrestler who gets pinned to the mat every time?”, the JD(U) leader said.
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