The Bharatiya Janata Party's good show in Bihar took Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led ruling NDA coalition to victory surmounting anti-incumbency of 15 years in the state. The NDA secured 125 seats, three more than the halfway mark in the 243-member House. The Mahagathbandhan managed to get 110 seats even after Tejashwi Yadav's RJD emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats.
BIHAR ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2020 FULL COVERAGE
The BJP became the second single largest party by getting 74 seats and Nitish Kumar's JD(U) secured 43 seats. Other NDA partners Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) won four seats each. Of 110 seats that the grand alliance won, RJD's allies Congress got 19 seats and the Left parties secured 16 seats. The remaining seats were divided among Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM which won five followed by one seat each by Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). One Independent was also elected.
BJP registers highest strike rate in Bihar elections
Despite the slump in numbers, Nitish Kumar, who was declared the NDA's chief ministerial candidate by the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief JP Nadda, is set to take over the reins of the government.
AIMIM emerged as a surprise package in the polls by winning five seats, which had gained a foothold after winning a seat in a by-election earlier. It made significant inroads into the Seemanchal region which has a large presence of Muslim voters.
Statistics show that the RJD scored big in phase 1 that covered 71 seats. But the remaining two phases went to the BJP-JD(U), giving it an edge over the opposition.
Of the 71 seats which went to polls in the first phase, the RJD won 48. The NDA bagged 21 seats in this phase. But the second phase pushed the BJP-JD(U) beyond the opposition's tally. The second phase covered 94 seats. While the Mahagathbandhan won 42 seats, the NDA pocketed 52 seats. The NDA's stellar performance in the third phase help it retain power. Of the 78 seats, the NDA won 53 seats while the RJD 20 seats.
In the 2015 Assembly elections, the RJD contested on 101 seats and won 80 seats. This election, the RJD entered the fray from 144 seats and won 75 seats. While the party's strike rate in 2015 was 79%, it reduced to 52% in 2020.
In the NDA ranks, the BJP has outperformed the RJD in the strike rate. The BJP contested elections from 110 seats and won 74 seats, meaning its strike rate stands at 67%. The party faced RJD at 61 seats where its strike rate was 55% and the Congress at 37 seats where its rate was 75%.
The CPI(ML)(L) was at the second spot having over 63% of the seats it contested. All the three left parties combined had a strike rate of over 55%. They won 16 of the 29 seats.
After the CPI(ML)(L), Jitan Ram Manjhi's has grabbed the third sport having 57% strike rate. The RJD was at fifth spot.
The JD(U) contested on 121 seats and won 43 seats, having a strike rate of 35%.
According to India TV's analysis, had the LJP contested elections with the NDA, the alliance would have secured more than 160 seats. The LJP emerged as a vote cutter party at 37 seats, thus hurting the JDU candidates the most. On these 37 seats, opposition's candidates won by a thin margin. The LJP secured 20-31% votes at 9 seats, 10-20% votes at 15 seats, and 5-10% votes at 13 seats.
