Bihar : waiting is for November 14

way2barak, November 13: For the past two times, the assembly polls in Bihar have been quite competitive, with even the exit polls struggling to get the closest possible picture. This year too, the battle was intense. Campaigns, promises, jibes and claims. The alliances were bigger, so were the stakes. A test was for the ruling NDA to prove its governance and Nitish Kumar’s relevance. And for the Mahagathbandhan, it was all about existence.

Voting was held across two phases — Nov 6 and Nov 11 — and the state outperformed itself by witnessing a record voter turnout of 66.91%. Interestingly, women outnumbered men in both phases.

Following the polls, came exit polls. Most of them have given a comfortable edge to the NDA, and upset to the MGB. Yet, the wait is for Nov 14 when the Election Commission of India (ECI) will count the votes.

The last election was close. All exit polls predicted Mahagathbandhan’s victory, and certainly it looked the same during initial hours of counting, until the clear picture came. The NDA won 125 seats, just above the majority while the MGB could get only 110.

The NDA formed a government and despite Nitish Kumar‘s reluctance to be the CM due to JD(U)’s poor performance, he was asked to be the CM again.