|
JD-U, BJP
claim victory in Bihar, opposition struggles
Wednesday November 24, 2010 10:00:22 AM,
IANS
|
|
Patna:
Bihar's ruling alliance of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was Wednesday poised to retain power,
with the vote count indicating a sweeping win in the assembly
elections.
In the counting trends available in 177 of the 243 assembly seats,
JD-U and BJP candidates were forging towards victory in 127
constituencies, crushing the divided opposition dreams of an upset
verdict.
The Congress, which has been reduced to an also-ran in recent
decades in Bihar, put up a humiliating show. Its candidates were
ahead of others only in only a handful of seats.
Former chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu
Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) were on
the victory lap only in 34 places.
The two parties were losing in some of their known strongholds.
"We are set to receive a massive mandate," JD-U MP and party
leader Shivanand Tiwari said in New Delhi, crediting the widely
expected victory to the policies of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The BJP said the ruling alliance was poised for an emphatic win.
BJP state president C.P. Thakur said the ruling alliance was
confident of securing a two-third majority.
In New Delhi, party spokesman Prakash Javadekar added: "The JD-U
and BJP are headed for a historic victory. People are voting for
an alliance that brought development as well as law and order to
Bihar."
He said the people had clearly voted against the RJD's "15 years
of jungle raj" - referring to the long rule of Lalu Prasad and his
wife Rabri Devi.
Lalu Prasad's residence in the heart of Patna was deserted, its
green gates firmly shut.
Exit polls have predicted a clear win for the JD-U and BJP, which
took office in 2005.
Former chief minister Rabri Devi, wife of Lalu Prasad, was
trailing in Raghopur -- one of the two constituencies from where
she contested.
More than half of Bihar's over 55 million electorate voted from
Oct 21 and Nov 20 to elect a new 243-member assembly.
|
|
Home |
Top of the Page |
|
 |
|
Comment on this article |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 News Pick |
|
Bihar
Elections: Verdict will decide high-stakes battle
Who will rule Bihar for the next five
years? The answer will be known Wednesday when about 30 million
votes will be counted following a six-phased election that was
largely violence free and saw more
» |
347
people killed in Cambodian festival stampede
A senior government spokesman said
Tuesday that 347 people had died and 410 were injured in a
stampede on a crowded bridge late Monday in Phnom Penh. The
tragedy happened when a crowd of thousands panicked
» |
|
Murder
accused to get Jharkhand's best legislator award
Janardhan Paswan, an accused in a murder case, is set to get the
best legislator award of Jharkhand even as his selection has come
as a surprise to many members of the state assembly
» |
Jamia
students shouldn't fall into communal trap: Najeeb Jung
Calling for caution after anonymous letters with communal
overtones were distributed on campus, Najeeb Jung, vice chancellor
of Jamia Millia Islamia, says he has taken a serious note of the
incident as it had the potential to disturb
» |
|
Paswan,
Brinda in parliamentary-civil society team visiting Kashmir
A 10-member team of political leaders, rights activists and
academics will visit the troubled Kashmir Valley to hold talks
with "all sections of the society to discuss issues
» |
India a
nation of immense power and presence: UAE daily
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), home to a large number of Indians,
recognises that "India is now a spearhead of the future markets
and a nation of immense power and presence", a leading UAE
daily said in an editorial
» |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quick links