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Bihar Exit Poll: Republic TV- Jan ki Baat predicts power slipping out of Nitish Kumar’s hands
As per Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat exit poll, the JD(U) is likely to receive a huge setback by loosing on more than 70 seats contested in Bihar assembly election 2020.
Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat exit poll is projecting a healthy lead for Tejashwi Yadav led opposition alliance over Nitish Kumar led NDA in Bihar assembly elections even if it wins the lowest number of seats in the range projected for the political formation. In the best of situations, the GA is projected to comfortably end Nitish Kumar’s over 14-year long stint in power by cornering more than a dozen seats more than the half-way mark of 122 seats.
According to the exit poll, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) seems to be hit the hardest with victories projected only on 31-42 seats out of the 115 contested.
The exit poll projects a tally of 118-138 for the GA led by RJD and 91-117 seats for the NDA led by Nitish Kumar, handing a clear advantage to Tejashwi Yadav, whose party is projected to win in the range of 79-91 seats on its own.
The Republic-Jan Ki Baat exit poll also predicts victory on 5-8 seats for Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party or the LJP. It was feared that the LJP could end up dividing votes, hurting the JD(U) the most in the process.
The BJP is projected to win between 60-75 seats on its own in the state, however, it is not going to be enough to return the NDA to power, as per the exit poll.
The left parties are projected to win between 12-17 seats in the polls. The exit poll results have often been found to be off the mark including in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls, when most of the pollsters failed to accurately assess the magnitude of the Mahagathbandhan win in the state.
If the exit poll results hold then it would be a massive achievement for Tejaswhi Prasad Yadav, whose leadership was questioned widely within the GA along with the ability to tactfully manage coalition partners, who had shown reluctance to accept him as the CM face of the opposition alliance.
The strength in Tejashwi’s appeal was first noticed on the ground during the campaigning for the first phase of polls when his rallies drew huge crowds and his focus on the unemployment issue in Bihar became a contentious issue in the polls.
He also held up to 15-19 rallies a day, demonstrating energy and commitment to take the fight to the NDA camp.
Tejashwi’s cause might have received some help from another youth leader Chirag Paswan, who had opened a separate front against Nitish Kumar and selectively fielded candidates to undercut the JD(U) all over the state. The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which was part of the NDA in 2015, went alone in these elections.
Nitish Kumar’s campaigning was built around his government’s development record, pro-women policies and initiatives and a comparison with the ‘jungle raaj’ or ‘misrule’ seen during Lalu Prasad’s reign as the chief minister of the state.
The first two phases were held on October 28 and November 3, with a voter turnout of 55.68% and 55.70%, respectively. Over 55.22 % votes were polled in the third phase.
