Tejashwi Yadav, whose Rashtriya Janata Dal got the single-largest party status in Bihar but failed to dislodge the Nitish Kumar government, said "the mandate favoured Mahagathbandhan, but Election Commission's result was in NDA's favour".
"I thank Bihar's people. The mandate favoured Mahagathbandhan, but Election Commission's result was in NDA's favour. This hasn't happened first time. In 2015 when Mahagathbandhan was formed, votes were in our favour but BJP made back door entry to gain power," the 31-year-old leader told reporters.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has retained power in Bihar with the BJP's 74 seats taking the alliance past the majority mark of 122 in the 243-member Bihar assembly.
But Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United won only 43 seats and placed third, with Tejashwi Yadav's RJD or Rashtriya Janata Dal emerging as the largest party with 75 seats.
Here are Bihar Election Result 2020 Live Updates:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Wednesday that results of the Bihar assembly polls and bypolls across states have proved that "development" will be the only basis for politics in the 21st century and credited women for powering the BJP's political fortunes as its "silent voters".
A little over seven lakh voters in Bihar used the 'none of the above' or NOTA option in the assembly elections, according to the Election Commission.
Nitish Kumar-led NDA was back in power in Bihar on Wednesday with a slender majority.
The ruling coalition won 125 seats in the 243-member state assembly against 110 clinched by the opposition Grand Alliance to pave the way for a fourth successive term for Nitish Kumar in office.
According to figures released by the Election Commission, 7,06,252 people or 1.7 per cent of the voters opted for the option whereby they preferred not to vote for any candidate while exercising their democratic right.
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan will launch a "Dhanyawad Yatra" (a thanksgiving tour) after the festival of Chhath to express gratitude towards the voters who supported the party in the Bihar Assembly polls.
"We thank all the people of Bihar for the love, support, and blessings that "Bihar first Bihari first" received in the Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections 2020. This was the first time, the LJP fought the election alone and 25 lakh people blessed the vision document with a vote share of almost 6 per cent. To express our thanks, the party will take out a "Dhanyawad Yatra" (thanksgiving tour) in every district of the state. This journey will come after Chhath festival," as per the statement released by the LJP.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose Janata Dal United has suffered a body blow in the state elections due to the Chirag Paswan factor, today said he has left the decision regarding the Lok Janshakti Party chief to the BJP. The decision on who will be the Chief Minister has to be taken by the NDA, he said in response to a question, indicating that the issue might be revisited despite the BJP's earlier assurances that he would retain the post.
Chirag Paswan's rebellion against his leadership and the decision to go solo has relegated Mr Kumar to the position of junior partner in the decades-old alliance with the BJP. Though Mr Paswan's LJP had won only one seat, Mr Kumar said his separate presence has cut into JDU votes, leading to the loss of nearly 30 seats.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said people in Bihar, Gujarat and other states where elections were held recently have rejected the leaders who only find fault with everything.
People have given a message that they stand behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. "Some political leaders and parties are Vakra-
drashta'', as they have a hostile view about everything. They have a habit of finding fault with everything which is good for people," the senior BJP leader said.
He was speaking at "Simant Kshetra Vikasotsav 2020'' at Dhordo in Gujarat's Kutch district as part of a border area development programme.
Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi was on Thursday elected the leader of its four-member legislature party.
All the four newly elected MLAs met at Mr Manjhi's residence where they elected the former chief minister the leader of the legislature group.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday alleged irregularities in the Bihar Assembly polls and claimed that the opposition Grand Alliance was poised to win the election but "could not do so at the last moment".
"We wanted to talk about the irregularities done with us (in Uttar Pradesh), but a more serious one has happened in Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav was poised to make his government but could not do so at the last moment. All those who have faith in democratic values are unhappy today and asking if this is how elections will be fought," he told reporters
In the statistical game, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has achieved victory in Bihar Assembly polls, however, the real winner is Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, whose party has emerged as the single largest party in the state, Shiv Sena said on Thursday.
![](https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-11/hk8gn5u8_tejashwi-yadav-1st-presser-after-bihar-election-_625x300_12_November_20.jpg)
Tejashwi Yadav: PM Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar could not stop RJD from emerging single-largest party despite using money, muscle power" itemprop="description
"I thank Bihar's people. The mandate favoured Mahagathbandhan, but Election Commission's result was in NDA's favour. This hasn't happened first time. In 2015 when Mahagathbandhan was formed, votes were in our favour but BJP made back door entry to gain power," said Tejashwi Yadav.
"See where Nitish Kumar's glow has gone. He has been pushed to third position. This is a mandate for change. Nitish Kumar is sitting in the Chief Minister's chair but we are in people's hearts," said the RJD leader, who was the opposition's chief ministerial candidate.
Patna: Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi and other MLAs of his party meet Bihar CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar pic.twitter.com/ImFS4BpFb5
- ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2020
![](https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-11/uoskndhs_mukesh-sahni_625x300_11_November_20.jpg)
A moment - which seemed innocuous at the time - could have turned out to be more critical than imagined." itemprop="description
Congress General Secretary Tariq Anwar on Thursday reacted to the performance of his party in the Bihar Assembly election, saying that the Mahagathbandhan could not gain majority due to the grand old party''s "weak show" in recently held state Assembly polls.
"We must accept the truth. Due to the weak performance of Congress, Bihar was left out of the Grand Alliance Government. MIM's entry into Bihar is not auspicious sign," Mr Anwar said in a tweet.
Speaking to ANI, Mr Anwar said, "Our performance was not as good as RJD and Left. They performed way better than us. Had we performed like them, there would have been a Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar. People of Bihar wanted the same and had made up their mind for a change."
Bihar: Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi and other MLAs of his party arrive at the residence of CM Nitish Kumar in Patna after their legislative party meeting. https://t.co/1xU8fVnDQD pic.twitter.com/uPyvVNM4jL
- ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2020
Mr Paswan's first name translates to lamp in English.
The HAM leader went on to say: "There's a saying don't cut the branch on which you sit. Chirag Paswan worked towards defeating the fold he was part of. The result is clear, the branch has been cut, but he also fell."
"Our performance was not as good as RJD and Left. They performed way better than us. Had we performed like them, there would've been Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar. People of Bihar wanted the same an had made up their mind for a change," saidTariq Anwar, Congress General Secretary.
After clinching the Bihar assembly polls, West Bengal will be the "prime focus" for BJP where it has set a target of winning more than 200 out of the total 294 seats in the state elections due in April-May 2021, party national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said on Wednesday.
Bihar: RJD leader Manoj Jha and other leaders of Mahagathbandhan arrive at the residence of former CM Rabri Devi, in Patna, for the #BiharElection review meeting. pic.twitter.com/gqWiMDpD4l
- ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2020
From just two members in the Lok Sabha to the lotus flag furling in every corner of the country, the BJP has come a long way, asserted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, a day after the party's success in the Bihar Assembly polls and other state bypolls, thanking its National President, J P Nadda, besides "every worker".
"Tuesday's election victory is meaningful because it is an elaborate expansion of the results which were given to the party in last year's Lok Sabha elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party won in the east, hoisted the lotus (party symbol) flag in Manipur (after yesterday''s bypoll result). The Bharatiya Janata Party won in the west, in Gujarat. The BJP won in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. And the BJP succeeded in Karnataka-Telangana in the south, as well," he said adding the BJP is the only national-level party whose people have hoisted its flag in the whole country.
After more than 18 hours of counting, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returned to power with 125 seats of the state's 243 even though Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) won only 43 seats compared to ally BJP's 74.
In the statistical game, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has achieved victory in Bihar Assembly polls, however, the real winner is Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, whose party has emerged as the single largest party in the state, Shiv Sena said on Thursday.
Shiv Sena, through party mouthpiece Saamana, said, "The leadership of Bihar has finally passed into the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Nitish Kumar will become the Chief Minister. BJP achieved a big victory in Bihar. It should be attributed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, in the statistics game, ''NDA'' has been triumphant but the real winner is 31-year-old Tejashwi Yadav."
"Tejashwi's Rashtriya Janata Dal Party proved to emerge as the single largest party in Bihar. The BJP could not get this fortune, so the joy of saving power can be celebrated but the victory is on Tejashwi Yadav's head," Shiv Sena added.
Shiv Sena further stated in the fight across, the coalition under the leadership of Nitish Kumar got 125 seats. There are 243 MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha, hence the majority is 122. Understand how fine the victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar is.
![](https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-11/ri9n10to_nitish-kumar-pm-modi_650x400_11_November_20.jpg)
Only 84,900 votes had helped Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar gain a fourth straight term, shows data from the Election Commission a day after counting of votes in the state's recently concluded assembly election." itemprop="description
Terming Mahagathbandhan's allegation of rigging in the just-concluded Bihar elections false, Janata Dal (United) leader Ashok Chaudhary on Wednesday said only the "losers" say such things, besides he was surprised that the Grand Alliance even won 110 seats.
"Trump is also complaining about rigging in the US election, what can we do? Whoever loses says such things. These are false allegations," said Mr Chaudhary.
He added that people didn't have any reason to give the Grand Alliance the electoral mandate as they have the "baggage of corruption and misrule".
"Why would people give a mandate to them, what have they done? That they got these many seats is a matter of surprise. What have they delivered? They have the baggage of corruption, and misrule, as opposed to Nitish Kumar who is the face of good governance, and political honesty," the JD(U) leader said.
Hailing the "woman power" behind the BJP's victory in the just-concluded Bihar Assembly elections and other state bypolls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said women across the country have become their largest group of "silent voters".
"I have been watching it on television since yesterday (Tuesday), there is a discussion in newspapers about the silent voters. The BJP has a large group of silent voters: both the rural and urban women. The nari shakti (woman power) of our country has become the largest group of silent voters for us," said the Prime Minister while addressing the party's victory celebration at its headquarters in New Delhi.
He added people across the country trust BJP for ensuring the empowerment and dignity of women.
With the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) pulling off a victory in the recently concluded Bihar assembly elections, as many as 10 cabinet ministers, including eight from the Janata Dal (United) and two from the BJP, lost from their respective seats.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had 32 ministers in his Cabinet out of which 24 were in the fray this election.
Five of them were from the State Legislative council, hence they didn't need to contest the legislative election, whereas two ministers Vinod Kumar Singh and Kapildeo Kamat passed away due to COVID complication.
From the JD(U) camp, Education Minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma lost the election from Jehanabad Assembly seat, Rural Minister Shailesh Kumar from Jamalpur, Transport Minister Santosh Kumar Nirala from Rajpur, Science and Technology Minister Jai Kumar Singh from Dinara, Social Welfare Minister Ram Sewak Singh from Hathua, SC/ST Welfare Minister Ramesh Rishideo from Singheshwar, Minority Affairs minister Khurshid from Sikta, and Disaster management minister Lakhmeshmeshwar Rai from Laukaha.
![](https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2015-11/digvijaya-singh_650x400_51448726408.jpg)