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Patna, Nov 6 (IANS) As the first phase of voting for Bihar Assembly elections continues, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday expressed confidence in the NDA’s victory and said the alliance will form the government with an absolute majority.
Speaking to reporters, CM Gupta said, “People of Bihar know their interests. They have seen the development of the state in the last 15-20 years. They understand that progress is possible in Bihar under the leadership of NDA and Nitish Kumar. I am confident that NDA will form the government with full majority. We will get more seats and votes than before.”
Attacking the opposition, she said, “Those who are living under misconceptions, I want to remind them – this is Bihar. Anyone who considers himself a hero should remember that only those who rule the hearts of the people, the true ‘Jananayaks’, will rule Bihar. Those involved in corruption, those who looted public money, the ‘villains’, will go to jail. And those who misled the people, those ‘Naalayaks’, will run away abroad to enjoy the holidays. Will go.”
Meanwhile, the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections began with over 3.75 crore voters deciding the fate of candidates in 121 constituencies out of the total 243 seats. This initial phase is important, especially for the opposition Grand Alliance (Grand Alliance), which had won 63 of these seats in the 2020 elections. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – which includes the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) – had secured 55 seats in the same constituencies.
This round of voting is also important for the smaller parties included in both the major alliances. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) or CPI (ML), which had the highest strike rate in 2020, will contest 10 of its 20 seats in this phase. Of these, the party currently has six seats. Retaining these constituencies is important for the CPI(ML) if it wants to maintain its past electoral performance.
Within the NDA, Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJP (RV) is contesting 29 seats across Bihar, 10 of which fall in this first phase. Interestingly, the NDA currently holds only one of these ten seats.
Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), now part of the grand alliance, will also face a test of its electoral strength. Of the 15 seats it is contesting, six will go to polls in this first phase. The alliance has projected VIP chief Mukesh Sahni as its deputy chief ministerial candidate, increasing the risk of his party’s underperformance.
Many big leaders are in the fray in this phase. Opposition chief ministerial face and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will contest the elections along with over a dozen ministers of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government. These also include Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.
This phase also involves many celebrities and public figures, adding glamor to the political fight. Young folk singer Maithili Thakur is contesting from Aliganj on a BJP ticket, while Bhojpuri cinema star Khesari Lal Yadav represents RJD in Chapra. Another Bhojpuri actor, Ritesh Pandey, is contesting from Karghar as a candidate of political strategist Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraj Party.
–IANS
JK/DPB