PATNA, Nov 14: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has taken an early lead in the Bihar Assembly elections, securing 166 seats in early trends as per the Election Commission. This result significantly overshoots the majority mark of 122 seats.
In stark contrast, the opposition coalition, the INDIA bloc, trails behind, reportedly leading in just 59 seats of the total 243. Authorities indicate that the numbers could change, as multiple rounds of counting remain ahead.
The internal dynamics of the NDA show the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heads in 72 constituencies, while its allies, Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), follow with leads in 71 and 18 seats respectively. Other allies, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, manage to secure four and one seat respectively thus far.
The INDIA bloc, however, sees varied outcomes with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leading in 43 constituencies, while Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, and the Communists feature with fewer leads totalizing 15 seats.
Meanwhile, parties like Jan Suraaj, led by Prashant Kishor, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), headed by Mukesh Sahani, are trailing in all contested constituencies, a situation that might indicate a significant challenge for new entrants in Bihar’s political landscape.
As voting unfolds, key individual races attract attention. RJD’s popular candidate, Khesari Lal Yadav, currently trails in his constituency of Chhapra. Contrarily, BJP’s Maithili Thakur is leading in Alinagar. Noteworthy candidates include Osama Shahab of the RJD, who leads in Ragunathpur, and JD(U) minister Leshi Singh, who appears ahead in Dhamdaha.
Tejashwi Yadav, the chief ministerial face of INDIA bloc, holds a marginal lead in Raghopur. In primarily contested locales, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary (Tarapur) and Vijay Kumar Sinha (Lakhisarai) also report leads.
In the Mahua constituency, however, Tej Pratap Yadav occupies a surprising fourth position, as LJP(RV)’s Sanjay Kumar Singh takes the lead. The dynamics among these candidates and their performances might greatly influence the remaining post-election strategies perceived by both coalitions.
