Bihar deputy chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi thanked the people of Bihar for giving National Democratic Alliance (NDA) another chance. He also made it clear that there is no confusion regarding who is going to be the chief minister. “Nitish Kumar will remain the chief minister, that was our commitment,” he told NDTV.
Later, speaking to news agency ANI, Modi said there were few chief ministers in Indian politics who the people trusted for the fourth time.
“I thank the people of Bihar that they expressed their faith in NDA for the fourth time. It’s not ordinary. In Indian politics there are very few CMs whom people trusted for the fourth time. They have given a clear mandate to NDA, there is no confusion,” he said.
The NDA made a comeback in Bihar after it won 125 seats out of the total 243 in this year’s assembly election. Out of its constituents, the BJP won 74 seats and was the biggest contributor to the alliance’s victory. Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) won 43 seats and other NDA allies – Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) managed to win four seats each.
This victory turned the BJP into a senior partner, a major reversal in fortunes for the party.
Posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Nitish Kumar were pasted outside the offices of the BJP and the JD(U) as the NDA defeated Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), who most of the exit polls had given an edge ahead of the counting.
The grand alliance includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress and other Left parties. It secured 110 seats in total. Though it suffered a defeat this time, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav who was also the alliance’s chief ministerial face, made his mark.
The polling in 243 assembly seats were divided into three phases. The first phase saw voting in 71 seats on October 28, the second phase in 94 seats on November 3 and the third and the final phase in 78 seats on November 7.
Despite the prevailing coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country, the voter turnout in Bihar for all three phases was high. The Election Commission of India (ECI) through its numerous Covid-19 related guidelines ensured that the electoral process is carried out smoothly.