Bihar Polls: How RJD's fortunes have changed from 2010 to 2020

In a hotly-contested Assembly election held amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Bihar is learning who it has chosen to rule for the next five years. From national parties like the BJP and Congress, to state parties like the JD(U) and RJD, all are in the fray for the control of the state Assembly.

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The election wad particularly important for the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the party helmed by disgraced former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad, as it fielded Tejashwi Yadav as the state's youngest CM candidate as part of the Mahagathbandhan, though ultimately, the NDA managed to win the state, defeating the state party.

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Here is how the party's fortunes have changed from the 2010 Assembly elections to this year:

In 2010, the Election Commission of India tabulated a grand total of 2,90,58,604 votes. Of this, state parties, comprising JD(U), LJP and RJD won 1,39,94,794 votes.

The RJD won 54,75,656 votes amounting to 18.84% of the total votes tabulated in the Assembly elections that year. The party won 22 seats of 168 that it contested in.

10 key takeaways from Bihar Election results 2020

In 2015, the RJD won 69,95,509 of the total 3,81,20,124 votes tabulated by the ECI. In 2015, a new party, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, had joined the fray and it scored 9,76,940 votes. Ultimately, while the RJD saw a significant increase in the absolute number of votes won, its vote share remained flat at 18.35%. However, it won a significantly higher number of constituencies, with 80 victories out of 101 seats it contested.

In the 2020 Assembly election, the RJD earned 97,36,242 votes, and won 75 seats. The party's vote stands at 23%, a significant improvement over its past performances, though it faced a setback in the number of seats won. It is likely that the party's boosted performance was due to Tejashwi Yadav's campaign. Interestingly, the party won 18% more votes than the BJP, which won 82,01,408 votes.