Follow the latest updates on the Bihar polls here.
The people of India clearly stated that the only point of debate during elections would be development in 21st century India.
People of India are asking every other party to come to this plank, and showing them that these are the real issues.
PM Narendra Modi addresses party workers at BJP headquarters following the victory of NDA in Bihar.
After clinching theBiharassembly polls, West Bengal will be the "prime focus" for thr BJP where it has set a target of winning more than 200 seats in the state elections due in April-May 2021, party national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said on Wednesday
It will now shift its focus to politically crucial West Bengal, which sends 42 MPs to the Lok Sabha - two more thanBihar, Vijayvargiya, who is also BJP's in-charge of Bengal, said. The BJP, which has made deep inroads in West Bengal by winning 18 of its 42 Lok Sabha seat - four less than ruling TMC in the 2019 general election, was waiting for theBiharelection results before mounting its "final assault" on the Mamata Banerjee government, party sources said.
"The ground in Bengal is well prepared for a change and we have to ensure that the anger against the TMC government is channelised. We will use all our energy to free the people of the state from the misrule of TMC," he said.
PTI
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday praised RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying that he has emerged as the "man of the match" in theBiharAssembly elections and will play a "pivotal role" in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Talking to reporters, Raut expressed doubts over the stability of the next NDA government inBihar.
In the 243-member House, the BJP-JD(U) alliance has won 125 seats, where the simple majority mark is 123, while the opposition grand alliance has bagged 110 seats, he said.
"The majority is very thin and anything can happen. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party- JD(U) finished third and if anyone is celebrating the win, it's a joke. The BJP has done well, for which it had to do a lot of political strategising," he said.
"Chirag Paswan's LJP ensured the defeat of 20 JD(U) candidates and Paswan is still in the NDA. This is a serious issue," Raut said.
"Nobody can vouch for the stability of the new government...I have heard that as the BJP wanted to clip Nitish Kumar's wings, it pitted Chirag Paswan against him," he alleged.
Raut said that even if Tejashwi Yadav could not become the chief minister, he has emerged as the man of the match.
"BiharAssembly elections have given a very promising face like Tejashwi. BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, should congratulate Tejashwi for putting up a good fight. Tejashwi will play a pivotal role in the next Lok Sabha elections," he said.
PTI
Addressing a press conference here, Paswan said he was happy that the BJP had emerged "much bigger and stronger" in Bihar, and ruled out any possibility of a truck with the opposition Grand Alliance, comprising RJD, Congress and three Left parties, citing "ideological differences".
PM Narendra Modi's leadership, credibility biggest reasons for NDA's victory inBihar, Yadav told PTI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Janata Dal (United) candidate Sunil Kumar on Wednesday for winning the Lok Sabha bypoll to Valmiki Nagar in Bihar and lauded the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance for its hard work on the ground. Kumar defeated Parvesh Kumar Mishra of the Congress by over 22,500 votes, the counting of which took place on Tuesday.
There's a saying 'don't cut the branch which you sit on'. Same way, Chirag Paswan worked towards defeating the fold he was part of. Result is clear, the branch has been cut, but he also fell... 'apne chirag se bhasm ho gaye hain vo': Jitan Ram Manjhi, Hindustani Awam Morcha (S)
AIMIM's Lok Sabha MP from Aurangabad Imtiaz Jaleel has said that his party's performance in the Bihar Assembly elections, in which it won five seats, was a "tight slap" to those who accused the party of being BJP's "B-team".
There will never be my support for Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi. If he continues to become the Chief Minister of my state, there will not be my support at the state level...We will continue supporting PM Modi at the centre: LJP president Chirag Paswan
Praising RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for giving a "spirited fight" in the Bihar Assembly polls, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday needled the BJP saying that if Nitish Kumar retains the post of chief minister despite the JD(U) winning fewer seats, the credit should go to the Sena.
It said that the BJP had promised that Nitish Kumar would be the next chief minister of Bihar even if his party bags less number of seats.
The BJP had given a similar promise to the Sena during the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, but as that word was not kept, it led to a political drama in the state, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.
Reacting to allegations that his party was dividing anti-BJP votes, Owaisi said he was running a political party that has a right to contest on its own. "You mean we should not fight elections. You (Congress) went and sat in Shiv Sena's lap (in Maharashtra). If anyone asks why did you fight the elections... I will fight in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and will fight every election in the country... Do I need to ask anyone's permission to fight the polls," he said when asked whether the party would contest in any other state.
"LJP's motive was to win but we were standing by PM Modi and are happy with the decision of the voters of Bihar," he said.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, who is camping in Bihar for the past many days, alleged that party candidates in Kishanganj and Sakra had won but were not given victory certificates.
He claimed that the Congress candidate in Kishanganj had won by 1,266 votes and the BJP candidate had gone home.
With the ruling NDA set to retain power in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that every section of the society has expressed its faith in the alliance's mantra of "with all, development for all, trust of all" and assured people that it will work with full dedication for balanced development of everybody and every region.
After the Congress failed to put up a good show in Bihar elections and bypolls elsewhere, party leaders on Tuesday again questioned the reliability of EVMs, even as the Election Commission asserted that the machines are "absolutely robust and tamper-proof".
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh and Dalit leader Udit Raj claimed that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) can be hacked and tampered with, though their party colleague Karti Chidambaram said the EVM system is accurate and dependable, and "it's time to stop blaming the EVM".
RJD candidate Shakti Singh from Hilsa assembly constituency was declared victorious by the returning officer by 547 votes. Was asked to wait for the certificate. The phone comes from CM housing to RO. Then suddenly the officer says that you lost by 13 votes because of the cancellation of postal ballot: RJD
With the three Left parties bagging seven seats and leading in 10 others in Bihar, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury warned naysayers against writing them off, saying had they been given more seats, they would have notched up higher numbers in the elections.
As of 9 pm on Tuesday evening, the CPI(ML) won six of the 19 seats they fought on and was leading in six, the CPI(M), which competed on four seats, won one and was leading in two others, and the CPI, which contested on six seats, won one and was leading in two.
Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen, which was given tags like 'vote cutter' and spoiler in the Bihar assembly polls, appeared set to win five Muslim-dominated seats on Tuesday and said its critics have got a befitting reply from the people.
Elated over BJP's performance in Bihar Assembly elections and bypolls in various states, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said the poll results have reiterated that "Modi hai to mumkin hai", and the party has given hints of its performance in the future elections.
He was speaking to reporters at the UP BJP office here.
"Under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and completely setting aside all the speculation in Bihar, in today's results of Bihar and bypolls in various states, the public have proved that 'Modi hai to mumkin hai' (if there is Modi, then it is possible)," Adityanath said.
"I heard BJP leaders saying in unison (on TV) that only Nitish babu will be the chief minister. Nitish babu should thank Shiv Sena for that. Not keeping promises will not happen in Bihar because the Shiv Sena has shown in Maharashtra what can happen if word is not kept," Raut said.
"Hence, if Nitish Kumar becomes Bihar chief minister, despite winning less number of seats (as compared to the BJP), he should thank the Shiv Sena for it," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Bihar Minister Mangal Pandey arrives at the residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna.
As per the latest Election Commission of India (ECI) trends, NDA is leading on 121 seats.
"The issue has been cleared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief J P Nadda much before the elections," BJP state chief Sanjay Jaiswal told PTI while responding to a query whether Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will lead the NDA government if the alliance secures a majority in the assembly.
"The leads so far are on the expected lines and we hope to catch up in three more seats. This was a different kind of election. This was more a people's movement. We banked on young candidates, student leaders, candidates who were part of farmer struggles, working class people. That seems to have worked," Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, said.
As Bihar waits for its next chief minister, Twitter is full of hilarious real-time reactions. Some are questioning EVMs, some are screaming "STOP THE COUNT!" and others are wondering what went wrong with the exit polls?
Bihar BJP spokesman Sanjay Singh Tiger said the BJP-JD(U) coalition has worked under the "double engine" governments -- NDA dispensations at the Centre as well in the state – and the people of Bihar have blessed it.
"The people know Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar can speed up development of the state and hence they have reposed their faith in the NDA," Tiger told reporters.
"I have been saying this for a long time that the NDA will form the government under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar. The opposition ran a misleading campaign with several allurements to woo voters," state JD(U) chief Vashishtha Narayan Singh told reporters here.
A year ago, RJD couldn't win a single seat in Lok Sabha polls. As per Lok Sabha results, JD(U) & allies were to win over 200 seats. In last one year, nothing has harmed brand Nitish or added to brand RJD, we're losing only due to Covid-19 impact: Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi
Bihar Election Result 2020 live updates on DH
The exercise will decide the electoral fate of over 3,700 candidates who are in the race to win the 243 seats of the state assembly.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday attacked the BJP policies, asserting that "the party will meet the same fate as the outgoing US president Donald Trump." Days after theBiharassembly exit polls predicted an edge for the Mahagathbandhan led by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, the PDP chief said, “I want to congratulate Tejashwi who is a young man and has set a narrative with a focus on Roti, Kapda Aur Makan (bread, clothes and house).”
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