NDA wins in Bihar but will Nitish Kumar become Chief Minister again, here's what BJP said

The BJP managed to win 74 seats, a lion's share of the 125 seats won by the alliance, while JD(U) secured victory in 43 seats reducing the number of lawmakers from Nitish Kumar's party.

IANS Photo

New Delhi: The results of Bihar Assembly election 2020 has given the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a majority with 125 seats. The BJP managed to secure 74 seats and JD(U) won 43 seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) four and Vikassheel Insaan Party got four seats each. 

With this Nitish Kumar's dream of returning as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record fourth time now appears to depend entirely on his ally, the BJP.  While it is likely that the BJP may insist on a larger share in the ministerial pie and greater say in governance given that it has more number of lawmakers in the assembly.

"PM Modi's image sailed us through (this election)", said Kailash Vijayvargiya, a senior leader of the BJP. "By evening, we will decide on the issues of government formation and leadership," he was quoted as saying by NDTV on Sunday while the counting of votes was underway.

That statement shows that the BJP could think of another candidate to lead the government in Bihar. When asked for clarification on his statement, Vijayvargiya said that the BJP will "stick to its promise" of Nitish Kumar returning as Chief Minister if the trends convert into results. 

The abysmal performance of Nitish Kumar's party reflects strong anti-incumbency in the state. It is also for the first time that Nitish stands demoted to junior partner in his arrangement with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. 

Though leaders close to Nitish Kumar insisted that "Brand Nitish" is not dented, they acknowledged that the result in Bihar. 

Read: Bihar assembly election result 2020: NDA secures majority as edge of seat contest unfolds in state

Meanwhile, PM Modi asserted that every section of the society has expressed its faith in the alliance's mantra of "with all, development for all, trust of all" and assured people that it will work with full dedication for balanced development of everybody and every region.

The Election Commission officials said nearly 1.6 lakh postal ballots were electronically transferred to service votes. Nearly 52,000 postal ballots were used by people above 80 years of age and those with disabilities. Out of nearly 7.3 crore voters, 57.09 per cent had cast votes in the polls.