Bihar elections: JD(U) member concedes defeat, blames coronavirus
In a surprising development, KC Tyagi, the spokesperson of JD(U), conceded defeat just a couple of hours after counting of votes began in Bihar. Tyagi, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, told NDTV, "We welcome the people's decision. We were not defeated by RJD or Tejashwi Yadav but the nation's curse (COVID-19)" The coronavirus pandemic, and the lockdown, sparked job losses in Bihar.
Losing only because of coronavirus: Tyagi
As the trends brought poor news for JD(U), Tyagi blamed coronavirus for the results. "A year ago, RJD couldn't win a single seat in Lok Sabha polls. As per Lok Sabha results, JD(U) and allies were to win over 200 seats. In the last one year, nothing has harmed brand Nitish or added to brand RJD, we're losing only due to COVID-19 impact," he told ANI.
Counting started at 8 am, exit polls predicted RJD's win
The voting for 243-seated Assembly was held in three phases, wherein governing NDA reminded voters of the earlier years of "jungle raaj." Tejashwi Yadav, the Chief Ministerial face of mahagathbandhan, made unemployment an issue, targeting CM Nitish Kumar for ignoring the youth. Before the counting day, most exit polls prophesied a win for the Yadav scion. However, the exit polls are not always accurate.
NDA leading on 81 seats, mahagathbandhan ahead on 75 seats
As per the latest trends of Election Commission for 161 seats, NDA is leading on 81 seats. BJP is ahead on 42 seats, JD(U) on 34, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) on 5. Meanwhile, the mahagathbandhan is leading on 75 seats, with RJD being ahead on 51 seats, Congress on 13, and the Left on 11. Chirag Paswan's LJP is leading on two seats.
BJP's Shahnawaz Hussain pleased after early trends
Commenting on the early trends, BJP's Shahnawaz Hussain told News18 that exit polls have been proved wrong. He claimed that news channels created an image that BJP will be routed, but that is clearly not happening. "We are still in the contest," he added. Hussain also said it is a neck-to-neck fight, and expressed confidence that Kumar will return as the CM.
