Bihar polls: Trends show NDA marching ahead of Grand Alliance

Patna: Bihar’s ruling NDA marched ahead of challenger RJD-led Grand Alliance in Bihar, leading in 118 of the 225 seats from where initial trends of counting of votes for the assembly polls were available till 11 am.

The Grand Alliance was leading in 95 constituencies, including its chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav in Raghopur. His elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav was, however, trailing in Hasanpur.

Of the 118 seats where NDA candidates have established an initial lead, the BJP was leading the table in 62, JD(U) 49, VIP (6), and HAM (1).

‘Mahagathbandhan’ spearhead RJD was leading in 60 places, and allies Congress (19), CPI-ML (12), CPI-M (3) and CPI (1).

Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party nominees were ahead of their rivals in five seats, Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and Bahujan Samaj Party contestants were leading in one seat each, and Independents (5).

Former chief minister and NDA ally HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi was trailing in Imamganj.

Veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav’s daughter Subhashini, the Congress nominee for Bihariganj seat in her father’s former pocket borough Madhepura, was also trailing. So was Luv Sinha, the son of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha. He is the Congress nominee from Bankipur in the State capital.

Trends for 18 seats are not available yet.

If the current trend continues and translates into seats, and Chirag Paswan, who was ploughing a lonely furrow in Bihar while still remaining part of the NDA at the Centre, decides to back the ruling alliance, which in all likelihood he would, then it should have no problem forming a new government.

A party or a coalition of parties needs 122 seats for a simple majority in the 243-member State Assembly.