The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, predicted to win majority in Bihar by exit polls, is currently trailing the state's ruling NDA by a chunk of seats. The party, however, advised caution to those writing it off, saying it is still early days and the counting is going very slow because of coronavirus-related precautions.
"We know a lot of people would try to play mind games in this. We want to tell our leaders and candidates that they should leave only with the victory certificate in their hands," said senior party leader Manoj Jha.
"All of you know that the counting is slow this time. There is a reason for it," he added, pointing to the high number of Electronic Voting Machines used and the extra rounds of counting.
"Real time data is stuck. What exit polls predicted will ultimately be correct. Just wait for a few hours, and you will witness change," he added.
By 2 pm, only 25 per cent votes have been counted, shows the Election Commission website. Of the 4-lakh-plus votes, only 1.3 lakh have been counted, the Commission indicated.
Earlier today, HR Srinivas, the Chief Electoral Officer of the state, had said the declaration of results in Bihar may take more time in comparison to the last assembly polls, as the number of polling stations have gone up by 45 per cent.
The number of polling stations have gone up from 72,723 earlier to 1,06,515, to ensure social distancing measures are implemented in view of the pandemic, reported news agency Press Trust of India.
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