Kishanganj rejects Nitish

The Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance might have swept the assembly polls winning 206 seats in the 243-strong Bihar assembly.

The Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance might have swept the assembly polls winning 206 seats in the 243-strong Bihar assembly. But ironically Kumar’s development agenda seems to have cut no ice in the state’s most backward district. The JD(U)-BJP combine was voted out from all four constituencies in the Muslim-dominated Kishanganj district in the northeastern part of the state.

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The Congress won from Kishanganj and Bahadurganj constituencies, Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won in Kochadhaman constituency and Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) secured a win in Thakurganj constituency.

But that’s hardly a reason to cheer for the opposition parties that were completely whitewashed in 19 of the 38 districts of Bihar.

The Congress had contested all the 243 seats. But despite campaign trips by party president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi, it managed to win only four seats — two in Kishanganj and two in Purnia. While the RJD managed to win 22 seats, its pre-poll ally LJP won only four. The Communist Party of India could manage only one seat.

Other national parties like the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and CPI-ML (Liberation) were wiped out from the electoral map of Bihar.

The number of seats won by independent candidates was reduced to less than half in comparison to the previous assembly. Independents won in Brahmpur, Dhaka, Dehri, Lauriya, Obra and Sikta constituencies.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) opened its account in Bihar by winning in Jamui.

With no other party managing even the mandatory 10% of the total seats, which is 25 seats, no legislator has qualified for the position of leader of opposition. And with no one to play the role of a constructive opposition, the Kumar government has a free hand.

But the biggest challenge for the chief minister would be to analyse the reasons for his party’s rout in Kishanganj and ensure socially inclusive development in the state’s most socially and economically backward district.