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Elections Results 2020 Live: Grand Alliance Keeps Up Fight as NDA Maintains Lead

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The counting of votes has already begun at 8 AM in 55 centres across 38 districts. Bypolls were also held in 11 states including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
Bihar elections result 2020

The results of the Bihar Assembly Elections, to be declared on Tuesday, November 10, will decide if the state’s voters have decided to hand over the baton to one of the youngest chief ministerial candidates, Tejashwi Yadav and the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), which includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and Left parties.

With most exit polls giving an edge to the Grand Alliance, the 15-year-old Nitish Kumar-led government is facing a tough fight in the 243 member Legislative Assembly.

While the three-phase elections with 3,558 candidates, including 370 women and a transgender, concluded on November 7, the counting of votes has already begun at 8 AM in 55 centres across 38 districts.

As per the Grand Alliance seat-sharing deal, Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD contested 144 of 243 Assembly seats, Congress on 70 seats and Left parties contested from 29 seats-- CPI(ML) from 19 seats, and the CPI and CPI(M) six and four seats, respectively. Meanwhile, the BJP and JD(U) were allotted 121 and 122 seats in the NDA camp. Further, the Hindusthani Awam Morcha (HAM) has got seven seats from JD(U)’s share and the Vikashsheel Insaan Party (VIP) has been allotted 11 seats from the BJP.

The voter turnout in the first, second and third phases of voting being held on October 28, November 3 and November 7 respectively, were recorded at 54%, 55.7% and 56.02% respectively.

We are wrapping up our live updates but will continue updating on our social media platforms. Also tune in to our YouTube channel for detailed analyses on the results of Bihar Assembly election 2020.

Live blog

Early Trends

Early trends show a neck-to-neck fight between Mahagathbandhan and NDA.

Nitish Kumar's Flip

In 2015, RJD and JD(U) fought the assebmly elections together under the Mahagathbandhan. The coalition won and they formed a government. But in 2017, Nitish Kumar shocked everyone when he ended the alliance and eventually formed the government again with BJP as part of the NDA. Many saw this as betrayal of the 2015 mandate.

Bihar elections result 2015

 

History of Vote Sharing Since Past 15 years

As the counting progresses across Bihar, here is a graphic representation of the vote shares of the major contenders in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the past one and half decade.

Bihar elections 2020

Unemployment a Major Poll Issue

The edge of RJD+ as visible from the pre-poll campaigns also arose from the fact that the number of employed in the state, which was 2.86 crore in 2017, has been on a downward spiral dropping dramatically to just 160 lakh (1.6 crore) – a 44% decline during the lockdown.

Read: Bihar Elections: Why Jobs Have Become the Key Issue

Bypolls in 11 States

Along with the Bihar assembly, bypolls were held in 11 states including Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.The bypolls in Madhya Pradesh are said to be a test of the Jyotiraditya Scindia factor in the state. The state has voted for candidates contesting in 28 seats, and in seven seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Out of 161 Seats, RJD+ Leading in 75

According to Election Commission of India updates, out of 161 seats, the Grand Alliance is leading in 75 seats, CPI(M)-2, Congress 13, RJD-51, CPI(ML)-8.

JD(U) Spokesperson Seems to Have Conceded Defeat

In an interview with NDTV, Nitish Kumar’s party spokesperson, KC Tyagi seemed to have already conceded defeat, blaming the COVID 19 situation and the ensuing economic downturn as responsible for his party’s poor performance.

Left Forces Performing Well

The three left parties - CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M) - who had decided to be a part of Mahagathbandhan, are performing well. While CPI(ML) (Liberation) is leading in 10 seats, CPI(M) and CPI are leading in 3 and 1, respectively.

Update on Bypolls

The Congress leads in the sole bypoll constituencies in Chhattisgarh and Haryana while the BJP leads in the single one polled in Telangana and in both in Karnataka.

In Gujarat – where eight seats were polled – the BJP leads in seven seats while the Congress is ahead in one. In two seats in Jharkhand, both parties are ahead in one each. Out of five seats in Manipur, the saffron party has already won one and is ahead in the other.

Two independent candidates have the lead in Manipur while Biju Janata Dal candidates have leads in both seats in Odisha.

 

Tejaswi Yadav Leading

RJD leader and Grand Alliance chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav leads in Raghopur by 455 votes

 

Varying Trends Show Close Fight

According to Times of India result updates, the RJD is ahead on 75 seats while the BJP

is leading on 66, making it the single largest party till now. The Tejashwi led party had won 80 seats in 2015 and the BJP won 53. The NDA is leading in 115 seats, while the RJD-led mahagathbandhan is a head in 110 seats, according to CNN-News18. LJP is now leading in 3 seats, it showed. NDTV is showing a clear majority to the NDA with a lead in 126 seats. 

Meanwhile, EC trends show that out of 219 seats so far known, the NDA camp is leading in 115 seats whereas the Grand Alliance is leading in 95 seats.

 

Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi Trailing Behind RJD Candidate

HAM President and former Bihar CM, Jitan Ram Manjhi, trails Uday Narain Choudhary 

of the RJD by 1,340 votes in Imamganj, PTI reports.

 

MP Bypolls: BJP Leading in 16 Seats out of 25

According to EC trends, in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is leading in 16 seats, Congress in 8  and BSP in 1.

NDA Seems to be Moving Toward Majority

According to the EC website, out of 228 seats, NDA is leading in 120  while Grand Alliance is ahead on 97.

‘Last Election’: Nitish's Emotional Card

Before the last phase of polling, incumbent CM Nitish Kumar played the emotional card saying that this will be his last election. Many saw this as a last effort to redeem his image amidst reports of huge unpopularity.

Plurals Party Not a Player

PTI reports Plurals Party chief Pushpam Priya Choudhary bags only 121 of 3,860 votes counted so far.

Recurrent Floods Expose Claims of Development of Nitish-led NDA Govt.

Several regions of the state show the lack of development, one of the reasons behind the unpopularity of the Nitish Kumar government, which has held sway for the last one and half decade. One such area is Tarabari village in Baisi Assembly constituency, which has no roads and bridges connecting it to the world. When the two rivers, Kankai and Mahananda swell every year between March and July, the entire area gets submerged. The flood waters erode the soil, and at its worst, forces people to shift their houses. Even in this year’s floods, around 200 houses were washed away. Floods have made villagers relocate five times in the past 46 years.

Read: Bihar Elections: Baisi’s Tarabari Village Exposes Nitish’s Claim of Development

 

Out of 241, JD(U)+ Maintains Lead in 130

As per EC trends, the Grand Alliance is trailing behind the NDA camp with 99 out of 241 seats so far, while JD(U) is leading in 53 seats, BJP in 70 and VIP in 6 seats. 

 

Gujarat Bypoll Update:

ECI says BJP leads in all eight constituencies -- Abdasa, Limbdi, Morbi, Dhari, Gadhada, Karjan, Dang and Kaprada -- in Gujarat.

Out of 29 Candidates Fielded, Left Leading in 20 Seats

The Left parties’ candidates, which have joined the Grand Alliance, are leading in 20 out of the 29 seats they were contesting from. CPI(ML) Liberation has candidates leading in 14 constituencies, while CPI is leading in 3 seats and CPI(M) in 2 seats.

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