In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP led coalition won 31 seats in Bihar – BJP 22, LJP 6 and Upendra Kushwaha led RLSP 3. The JD (U) and Congress won 2 seats each while RJD won 4 seats.
But a look at the vote percentage in 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar makes the story even more interesting. The BJP won 29.4% vote, LJP 6.4% and RLSP 3%. Hence the NDA alliance, as a whole, got a total of 38.8 percent of the total vote.
On the other hand, the RJD won 20.1% vote, JD(U) 15.8% and Congress 8.4%. The combined vote percentage of these three parties clearly exceeds the vote percentage of NDA alliance but what has to be kept in mind is that RJD, JD(U) and Congress fought these elections separately.
Will the RJD-JD (U)-Congress combine have an advantage over the NDA given the fact that they polled more votes in 2014 general elections? Those who understand the intricacies of electoral politics know that it is governed by chemistry and not simple arithmetic.
Nitish Kumar will have to do a lot of explaining as to why he has joined hands with the same Lalu Prasad who he had accused of spreading ‘jungle raj' in Bihar? His claims of having taken a U-turn to save secularism sound so hollow to the people of Bihar. Anti-Lalu forces have still not forgiven him for breaking alliance with BJP and now he is being seen as a leader who may help Lalu bring back what is remembered as the ‘Jungle raj' of previous RJD rule.
