Patna, Nov 6 (IANS) As the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections is underway, Bihar Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha on Thursday said that people are voting in favour of the NDA in greater numbers than expected.

Speaking to IANS, Upendra Kushwaha said, “People are voting in favour of the NDA more than we were expecting. Based on the information we are receiving through television and various sources, it is clear that the NDA is heading for a record-breaking victory in Bihar.”

Responding to the Mahagathbandhan’s claims of winning the Bihar polls, he claimed, “They will obviously say that. The first phase of voting is still underway, and the second phase is yet to come. If they start talking about losing now, their workers will become demoralised. To keep their morale high, they are making such statements. But the result is clear — Bihar is voting overwhelmingly in favour of the NDA.”

Meanwhile, the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began, with over 3.75 crore voters deciding the fate of candidates in 121 constituencies out of the total 243 seats. This initial phase is significant, especially for the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), which had won 63 of these seats in the 2020 polls. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — comprising the BJP and the Janata Dal(United) — had secured 55 seats in the same constituencies.

This round of polling is also important for smaller parties allied with both major coalitions. The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) or CPI(ML), which had one of the highest strike rates in 2020, will have 10 of its 20 contesting seats going to polls in this phase. Of these, the party currently holds six seats. Retaining these constituencies is vital for the CPI(ML) if it wishes to sustain its previous electoral performance.

Within the NDA, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJP(RV), led by Chirag Paswan, is contesting 29 seats across Bihar, 10 of which fall in this first phase. Interestingly, the NDA currently holds only one of these ten seats. The LJP(RV)’s share in the seat distribution had earlier triggered tension among alliance partners, particularly the JD(U), which felt the allocation was not in line with the LJP(RV)’s current Assembly strength.

–IANS

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