Cong posts second worst show in Bihar’s history, Rahul’s ‘vote chori’ pitch falls flat
NEW DELHI/PATNA, Nov 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday termed the NDA win in Bihar as a vote for pro-people governance and vowed to throw out ‘jungle raj’ from West Bengal, saying the BJP’s victory march will follow the flow of river Ganga from Bihar to Bengal. Addressing a thanksgiving function at the BJP headquarters here, Modi also set sights on other poll-bound states, saying the massive victory in Bihar has infused fresh energy in party workers of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Assam and West Bengal where elections are due next year.
“The victory in Bihar has paved the way for the BJP’s triumph in Bengal. I want to assure the people of West Bengal that, with your support, the BJP will put an end to the jungle raj in the state as well,” he said.
The prime minister greeted party workers at the BJP headquarters here by waving the ‘gamchha’, the ubiquitous long cotton scarf worn by most people in Bihar and other eastern states amid chants of ‘Modi-Modi’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
As a symbolic gesture to connect with the people of Bihar on the occasion, PM Modi wore a ‘gamchha’ with Mithila painting on it and began his speech with chants of “Chhathi Maiyya ki Jai”.
“The people of Bihar, with this massive victory and their unshakable confidence, have taken the state by storm (‘garda uda diya’),” said Modi in typical Bihar lingo.
He termed the victory in Bihar as a mandate for politics of good governance and hailed the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the contribution of all NDA leaders including Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha.
“If the people are re-electing the BJP-led NDA government, it signifies the establishment of a pro-people, pro-governance and pro-development agenda. This represents a new foundation in Indian politics,” the prime minister said.
The BJP-led NDA was on course for a landslide victory in the Bihar assembly elections with well over two-thirds majority in the 243-member House.
“Today’s victory is the beginning of a new journey. The trust that Bihar has reposed in us has put greater responsibility on our shoulders,” he said.
The prime minister assured the voters of Bihar that the state will progress at an even faster pace, new industries will be established and the youth will get jobs within the state.
“Investment will come to Bihar, and this investment will bring more jobs. Tourism will expand in Bihar, and people will see Bihar’s new strength. Our pilgrimage sites, places of faith and historical heritage will be rejuvenated,” he said.
The prime minister said the victory has given a new “M-Y — Mahila and Youth” formula as the people had destroyed the “communal ‘M-Y’ formula of the jungle raj people”.
“Bihar has shown again that lies are defeated and people’s trust wins,” Modi said.This victory has strengthened people’s confidence in the Election Commission, the prime minister said.
In an apparent reference to the Muslim-Yadav (M-Y) support base of the RJD, Modi said in Bihar, some parties had formulated an “M-Y formula” but today’s victory has given a new “positive M-Y — Mahila and Youth” formula.He said the Bihar polls have also shown that the voters, especially the young ones, take the purification of the electoral list seriously.
The youth of Bihar have also extended tremendous support to the revision of electoral rolls, he said.Modi hailed the Election Commission for ensuring that elections take place smoothly and recalled how violence was the norm during the ‘jungle raj’, an apparent reference to RJD rule during the chief ministership of Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi.
His remarks come at a time when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been alleging “vote chori” in state polls and accusing the EC of colluding with the BJP to ensure the party’s victory.
Modi said with the new government, the NDA was now moving forward towards a golden journey of 25 years in Bihar.
CONGRESS
The Congress on Friday posted its second worst performance in Bihar’s electoral history managing to win only six of the over 50 seats it contested and losing deposits in most seats as its ‘vote chori’ pitch failed to make any impact on the ground.
The scale of the Congress’ debacle was such that the party could manage to just finish ahead of Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), which bagged five seats each.
The Congress tally was only better than the four seats it won in 2010, getting a vote share of only 8.75 per cent compared to the 8.17 per cent 15 years ago.
The party now has multiple challenges – keeping its flock together, curbing voices of dissent within besides reclaiming lost ground.
Starting with 239 seats with a 41.38 per cent voteshare in 1952, the grand old party’s graph in Bihar has been on the decline ever since.
The dominant player in Bihar’s politics went down from 196 seats in 1985 to 71 in 1990 and further down to 29 and 23 in 1995 and 2000, only to touch the single digit mark in 2005.Friday’s show, however, compares to no other in terms of the grand old party’s decimation with Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote chori’ campaign failing to make any impact on the electorate of the state that gave the ruling NDA a four-fifth majority in a repeat of 2010 charts.
The rout of the Congress was so complete that its state president Rajesh Kumar lost to NDA’s HAM candidate Lalan Ram in Kutumba.
Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, a consistent anti-Election Commission and SIR narrative, his appeals to ‘Gen Z’ to “restore democracy” had no takers.In Bihar, 40 per cent of the population is below the age of 18 and 23 per cent is between 18 and 29 years.Among other caste, community and social bases too, the Congress failed to emerge as a party of choice. (PTI)
