After the NDA’s historic victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the grand alliance, saying the “Katta government will never come back in Bihar” and saying people have voted for a “developed India”. Addressing the victory ceremony at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said its “Jungle Raj” statement had “hurt” the Congress more than the RJD.
PM Modi said, “When I spoke about Jungle Raj and Katta government in Bihar elections, RJD party did not raise any objection. But it hurt the people of Congress. Today I want to reiterate that Katta government will never come back in Bihar… The people of Bihar have voted for a developed Bihar.”
Prime Minister Modi targeted the Grand Alliance over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Chhath Puja celebrations and accused them of disrespecting the tradition, culture and glorious past of Bihar. PM Modi said, “Till date, Congress and RJD have not apologized to Chhath Maiya. The people of Bihar will never forget this. The pride and honor of Bihar, this is our priority.”
He said, “The people of Bihar have played a huge role in the development of India. But the people who ruled the country for decades always created a false image of Bihar. These people gave Bihar a bad name. They neither respected Bihar’s glorious past, nor its traditions and culture, nor its people.”
Rahul Gandhi had said at a rally in Darbhanga that the BJP created a “drama” and built a separate pond for Prime Minister Modi to take bath during Chhath Puja. The Prime Minister further said that the BJP is trying to get Chhath included in the UNESCO heritage list.
He said, “Our government is striving to include Chhath in the UNESCO heritage list. Its aim is to connect the entire country and the world with this culture through its importance.”
According to the Election Commission, as of 7:50 pm, the NDA has won 148 seats, including BJP 76, JD(U) 56, LJP(RV) 13, HAM 2 and RLM 1. The opposition grand alliance is trailing on 21 seats, including RJD 16, Congress 3, CPI (M) (L) 1 and CPI (M) is winning 1 seat.
The return of a confident, coordinated BJP-JD(U) alliance has significantly changed the electoral battlefield this time. Prime Minister Modi stood firmly with Nitish Kumar throughout the election campaign, leading the alliance to present a united and rejuvenated front with an emphasis on welfare schemes, infrastructure expansion, social schemes and administrative stability.
The combination of Prime Minister Modi’s national appeal and the Bihar Chief Minister’s massive grassroots presence has created a formidable electoral force that looks set to translate its political momentum into a landslide victory in Bihar. With the advent of the mandate in Bihar, the Prime Minister Modi-Nitish partnership has emerged as the deciding factor in the assembly elections. It is worth noting that Bihar witnessed a historic 67.13% voter turnout, the highest since 1951, with women voters voting ahead of men (71.6% vs 62.8%).