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Bihar elections : NDA closer to victory |
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Exit polls conducted after the second phase of polling for the Assembly elections in Bihar suggest that Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United) would be very close to becoming the State’s next Chief Minister. Three exit polls conducted after the second phase which involved 62 constituencies projected that the JD(U)-BJP alliance may get between 111 and 117 seats in the 243-member Assembly. If the projections prove correct, the NDA would need the support of another 5 to 11 MLAs to form the next government.
The exit polls have a bleak message for Lalu Prasad Yadav and his Rashtriya Janata Dal. The alliance he has formed with the Congress and the CPI(M) is projected to win at best 96 seats and at worst 83. The exit polls by three TV channels indicate that smaller parties and Independents could get from 21 to 29 seats. The projections also spell doom for Ramvilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party alliance. Instead of being a kingmaker, he could end up on the margins of the political game.
The second phase of polling was peaceful as was the first phase. The polling percentage was again low and only about 46 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise.
Meanwhile, a court has issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Union Minister of State Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav who belongs to the RJD. His application for anticipatory bail was rejected by the court.
The Election Commission has hit back at the UPA for what it called its intemperate attack on its Adviser in Bihar, K.J. Rao. The UPA leaders, particularly RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and Digvijay Singh of the Congress had alleged that K.J. Rao was working as an extra-judicial authority in the state. Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon said in Patna that the allegation against K.J. Rao is unfounded. He said Rao’s conduct is unimpeachable and his impartiality has never been in doubt.
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