Patna [Nov 11]: With Bihar witnessing a thrilling contest for the 243 assembly seats, the victory for the NDA may be attributed to the BJPs much improved strike rate since the last election and a slide in the RJDs and Congress scoring rate.
The BJP increased its strike rate from 33.75 per cent in 2015 to 67.3 per cent in 2020, while the RJDs number came down from an impressive 79.2 per cent last polls to 52 per cent this time.
The RJD-led Mahagathbandhans overall strike rate was also brought down significantly by the Congress too which slid from 65.85 per cent in the 2015 polls to 27.14 per cent this poll, a decline of over 38 percentage point.
The BJP had contested 157 seats in 2015, when it was a rival of the JD(U) and the RJD, and had won 53. It added 19 more seats to its 2015 tally, even though it contested 47 fewer seats than the previous election.
The RJD, however, had contested 101 seats and won 80 (SR 79.2 per cent) in 2015. It contested 144 seats, 43 more than last time, but won 75, five less than 2015, bringing their strike rate down to 52.
A better strike rate for the BJP also meant that a negative swing in its vote share since 2015 — from 24.42 per cent to 19.5 per cent — did not have any impact on their seats tally.
The biggest gainers in terms of strike rate this time were the three Left parties — the CPI-ML (SR 63.15% from less than four), CPI-M (SR 50% from zero) and CPI (SR 33.33% from zero) — and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIS which won five of the 20 constituencies (SR 35%) it fought. (PTI)
