Bihar: A look at how BJP, JD(U), RJD have performed over the years

JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Wednesday took oath as Bihar chief minister for a record eighth time, a day after snapping ties with the BJP-led NDA and joining hands with the RJD to form a ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government.

Nitish, known over the years to switch in the direction of the political wind, has allied with Lalu Yadav's RJD and Congress before as well. Interestingly, even though Nitish has remained the poster boy of Bihar politics, the performnce of his party, Janata Dal (United), has worsened over the years in the Vidhan Sabha elections.

At the same time, BJP's numbers have continued to rise.

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From 2005 to 2020, the BJP's seats increased from 37 to 74, while the JD(U)'s seats rose from 21 to 43. Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, now heralded by Lalu's son Tejashwi, consistently kept its vote share and number of seats at a high, except in 2010, when the party fell behind BJ(U) and BJP.

In 2010, the BJP and JD(U) outperformed Congress and RJD, bagging 91 and 115 seats, respectively.

Here's a look at how these parties have performed over the years: