The PM addressed nearly 30 rallies and promised voters thousands of crores for development in Bihar.
Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a a no-holds barred campaign in Bihar, his party is set to lose the election in India's third-most populous state. "This is a state election and not a referendum on central leadership or government," said senior BJP leader and union minister Prakash Javadekar to NDTV.
The PM addressed nearly 30 rallies and promising voters thousands of crores for development in a state with some of India's highest malnutrition and illiteracy levels.
"If there is defeat at the end of the day, we will accept it... whatever is the mandate, we accept it... I do not believe that any one factor could have led to victory or defeat. We need time, we will analyze it," said senior BJP leader and strategist Ram Madhav to NDTV. "Two different elections," he replied, when asked if the famous "Modi Wave" that swept the 2014 national election is waning. "To expect us not to use our strongest factors (is incorrect)," he said when asked about the Prime Minister's turn as the star campaigner for Bihar. "We will take lessons from here for the next election," he said.
"It is the BJP that turned this into a prestige battle for the PM," said Nitish Kumar, who is running for a third term as Chief Minister. He formed an alliance for this election with his predecessor Lalu Yadav, who has served time in prison for corruption, and the Congress.
Party workers from their coalition were dancing in the street in celebration in the of capital Patna, more than two hours after counting started at 8 am. As the contest tightened in recent weeks, the campaign shifted to bitter issues along religious and caste lines. Exit polls released last week showed the parties running neck and neck, after voting ended on Thursday in the election held in five phases over a month.
After Delhi, this is the second state election which saw the PM leading an unsuccessful campaign for the BJP.