Bihar Congress chief confident of Mahagathbandhan win
What's the story
Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram has expressed confidence that the Mahagathbandhan alliance will win the Bihar Assembly election. He said this would be possible if "fair vote counting" were conducted. Ram stressed that the alliance has fought together and will form a government focused on increasing people's earnings, healthcare, and education. Voting for 243 seats of the Bihar Assembly started at 8:00am on Friday.
Election contest
Ram is contesting for a 3rd term from Kutumba seat
Ram is contesting for a third term from the Kutumba constituency in Aurangabad district. He had won the 2015 and 2020 elections from this seat. This time, he will face Lalan Ram of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which has fielded him on a Hindustani Awami Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) ticket. Jan Suraaj Party candidate Shyam Bali Ram is also contesting for this seat.
Voter turnout
NDA, Mahagathbandhan main contest in these elections
The Bihar Assembly elections have witnessed the highest voter turnout since 1951, with a turnout of 66.91%. The first phase had a voter turnout of 65.06%, while the second phase saw a higher turnout of 68.76%. The main contest in these elections is between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan alliance, which includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as a major party.
Election alliances
Composition of NDA and Mahagathbandhan alliances
The NDA comprises Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). The Mahagathbandhan alliance includes the Congress Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation led by Dipankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party. Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj also contests all 243 seats in Bihar.
Election process
Exit polls predicted NDA's return to power in Bihar
This is the first Assembly election in India in 20 years to be held after a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The exit polls have predicted that the NDA will form the government again in Bihar. Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, bye-elections were held in Budgam after Omar Abdullah vacated this constituency for Ganderbal.