Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) victory in the Bihar Assembly elections as a win for "sushasan" (good governance), hinting at Nitish Kumar continuing as Chief Minister. The NDA secured a clear majority, winning 202 seats in the 243-member House. The BJP emerged as the single largest party within the alliance.
Addressing supporters at the BJP headquarters, Modi expressed gratitude to the people of Bihar for their unwavering faith and for blessing the NDA with a historic mandate. He emphasized that the people had voted for a developed and prosperous state. He also lauded the Election Commission for conducting a peaceful election with record voter turnout. The Prime Minister contrasted the present election with the "jungle raj" era, noting the absence of violence and booth capturing.
Modi also took a dig at the opposition, calling the Congress a "parasite party" and stating that his prediction about the RJD and Congress clashing after the election had come true. He also said that Bihar has replaced old "MY formula" with "Mahila – Youth" mandate.
Within the NDA, the BJP won or was leading in 93 seats, while the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), secured 83 seats. Other NDA allies, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJPRV, won or were ahead in 19 seats, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RSHTLKM) was leading in four seats, and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), or HAMS, had won or was leading in five seats.
The opposition Mahagathbandhan, or Grand Alliance, which included the Indian National Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was leading in just 35 seats. The RJD, led by Tejashwi Yadav, won 26 seats. Rahul Gandhi termed the Bihar results as "truly surprising".
Nitish Kumar is now set to become the Chief Minister for a record tenth time. Other NDA partners, including Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chirag Paswan, have also indicated their support for Nitish Kumar as the next CM. Kumar expressed gratitude to the voters and affirmed his commitment to Bihar's progress.
The Bihar Assembly elections were held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with a voter turnout of 65.08% and 68.79% respectively. This election recorded the highest-ever voter turnout in the State since 1951, with 67.13%.
Several key candidates emerged victorious, including Osama Sahab, son of late gangster Mohammed Shahbuddin, who won the Raghunathpur Assembly seat. Maithili Thakur, representing the BJP, was leading in the Alinagar seat. Tejashwi Yadav retained his seat in Raghopur.
Political analysts suggest that Nitish Kumar's sustained credibility, coupled with women-centric schemes like the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana, contributed to the NDA's victory. Despite facing anti-incumbency after over 20 years in power, Kumar successfully secured a mandate based on his governance record and welfare initiatives.
