The counting of the votes for the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar has shown that the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has managed to retain its lead, rendering the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to the second place.
Eyes are on Bihar to see whether the 2024 Lok Sabha elections’ results are a repeat of 2019 when the NDA swept out the Mahagathbandhan of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Indian National Congress (INC).
Although the NDA has managed to retain a lead, it has so far, until the afternoon of June 4th, failed to replicate its 2019 magic, when it had won strikingly 39 out of 40 seats in Bihar.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, so far the BJP is leading in 13 seats of Bihar, while its NDA ally Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has won 14 seats. Other NDA allies—Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) [LJP (RV)] and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS)—have also won five seats and one seat, respectively.
While the BJP-led NDA managed to secure 33 seats, the INDIA alliance secured eight votes. Most notable among them are four seats of the RJD and two seats won by the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.
According to the early trends released by the Election Commission of India, BJP and JD(U) are leading in 27 constituencies. BJP candidates are leading in Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Araria, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Begusarai, Patna Sahib and Nawada seats. JDU candidates are leading in Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Kishanganj, Purnea, Madhepura, Gopalganj, Banka, Munger and Nalanda seats.
Misa Bharti from RJD, the daughter of Lalu Yadav, is contesting against BJP’s Ramkripal Yadav in Patliputra for the third time following the 2014 and 2019 contests. Yadav is a two-time sitting MP from the constituency. The early trends show Bharti leading Yadav with 33,000 votes.
However, in Saran, Rohini Acharya, another legacy of Yadav, from RJD is facing tough competition with the four-time MP and Former union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy. Rudy is leading by 3,426 votes. Rudy defeated RJD in 2019 and 2014 as well.
In Hajipur, Chirag Paswan, the two-time MP and president of LJP (RV) is leading RJD’s Shiv Chandra Ram by 23,992 votes. In 2019, Paswan’s Pashupati Kumar Paras and former Union minister defeated Ram by a margin of 20.41%.
The vote count data as of mid-day shows the BJP-led NDA leading the race to shape Bihar’s political landscape once again. Is there a scope for the INDIA bloc to give a tough competition this year?
