According to a senior BJP leader, one of the options that the party is looking at is to offer Nitish Kumar the CM's post while keeping future options open at the same time. , Chandigarh , Dehradun,
Lucknow, Patna,
The ruling JDU-BJP touched the majority mark at around 3 AM after a closely-fought race. The BJP finished with 74 seats and the JDU 43. Apart from the good showing by the Left parties and the eight seats won by smaller NDA allies, the other winner was Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, which claimed five seats. But, according to an Indian Express report, JD(U)'s slip in performance in the election, securing 43 seats, has not been lost on anyone within the BJP. Last Updated: 11th November, 2020 21:56 IST PM Modi Extols BJP's Success In Bihar & Bypolls, Reiterates Party's Stance On Nitish Kumar After BJP's success in Bihar and by-elections across India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday thanked the people for reposing their faith in the party. The Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbhandan, which most exit polls have given an advantage, appears to be in a tight contest with the NDA. Copyright © HT Media Limited All rights reserved. Another BJP leader, Sanjay Paswan, told the newspaper that the Bihar polls are a victory "for the BJP and Prime Minister Modi". 172@29@17@151!~!172@29@0@53!~!|news|politics|bihar-election-2020-nitish-kumar-will-be-cm-say-bjp-leaders-but-party-keeps-future-options-open-6104111.html!~!news|moneycontrol|com!~!|controller|infinite_scroll_article.php!~!is_mobile=false. The three Left parties claimed 16 seats between them, with 12 going to the CPI (Marxist-Leninist). ALSO WATCH | Bihar results | ‘We’re losing because...’: JDU leader amid counting of votes. For the opposition, Tejashwi Yadav was often the sole voice in attack; Rahul Gandhi addressed a handful of rallies but nobody else from the Congress made an appearance in Bihar. In early Bihar poll leads, the BJP seems to zoom ahead of its partner Nitish Kumar - who faces a massive anti-incumbency after helming the state for 15 years - the chief ministerial face of the ruling National Democratic Alliance. The BJP is now the big brother in its relationship with the JDU - something it has never been and which could impact the choice of Bihar's next chief minister, with some in the party of the opinion that Nitish Kumar can no longer call the shots. Paswan even put up candidates in all seats against the JD(U) and at one stage during the campaign even vowed to put the CM in jail. The majority mark is 122. These measures included a 63 per cent increase in EVMs and nearly double the number of polling booths - from 65,000 in 2015 to 1.02 lakh this year. or medium without express writtern permission of moneycontrol.com is prohibited. By contrast the Congress, whom many have suggested is at fault for the opposition's failure, flopped (again) and won just 19 of 70 seats; eight fewer than it managed in 2015. The opposition began the day well, surging into an early lead before being pegged back and overhauled by the NDA. The BJP has never held the chief minister’s post in the state. Results of the Bihar election - the country's biggest political exercise amid the coronavirus pandemic - were delayed because of Covid-related restrictions and measures, the Election Commission said Tuesday. Late Tuesday night the RJD and the Congress accused Nitish Kumar and his deputy, the BJP's Sushil Modi, of ordering district and election officials to favour the JDU-BJP in close contests; at one point over 100 seats had lead margins of 5,000 or below.