Bihar Elections

Overview

• Bihar..Constituency
• Political Parties
• Past Issues
• Seatsharing
• Manjhi Issue
• Corruption

Bihar..constituency

It is the 13th largest state, with total voter count of 66826658. Total no. of constituencies in Bihar are 243. Current election in state are of utmost importance and decide the fate of future election to be held in the states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu in year 2016 and Lok Sabha elections to be held in year 2019. Bihar is secular state, 17% of its population consists of muslims which makes muslims important part of state elections. The state has been passing through a period of extreme poverty and underdevelopment. It is currently governed by ruling party JD(U) under ministership of Nitish Kumar. JD(U) won 2010 election with alliance with BJP but broke the alliance after BJP won Lok sabha elections.
The Election will be conducted in 5 Phases..from october to november.

Past Issues

The showdown between Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar has been brewing since June 2013. That's when Nitish took the JD(U) out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in a fit of pique after Modi was appointed chairman of the BJP's election campaign committee.

If the JD(U)-RJD-Congress "grand alliance" wins Bihar, it will establish Nitish as the pivot in a potent anti-Modi national coalition. More parties and leaders will coalesce around him to mount a challenge to Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Congress, though a bit player in Bihar, will get new wind in its sails. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will be emboldened to continue their aggressive disruption of parliament. Modi's sheen of invincibility will dim. Murmurs of internal dissent could grow. The battles for West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in 2016 and 2017 will become harder to win.

If, on the other hand, the NDA wins Bihar, Modi and Shah will consolidate their grip over the party. The Modi wave will gather new momentum. That could help it sweep the Assam assembly election in 2016 and make a dent in the Kerala poll the same year. West Bengal (2016), Tamil Nadu (2016) and Uttar Pradesh (2017) are more electorally complex. But the BJP's long-term prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha election will receive a steroid boost.

Internal dissent will quieten. Modi will be able to re-assert his authority over right-wing extremists. His bargaining power with the RSS will increase. Development will take centrestage. Following a triumph in Bihar, Modi could recapture his mojo of 2014. All of this makes Bihar the most important election since the 2014 Lok Sabha poll.

Political Parties

Untitled Slide

• BJP
• JD(U)
• RJD
• Indian National Congress
• LJP
• HAM
• RLSP

Alliances

• JD(U) + RJD + Congress
• BJP +HAM +LJP + RLSP
• Samajwadi party pulled out of the Grand Alliance

SeatSharing

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the Bihar Assembly elections amid much bargaining by the Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and some heartburn for Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP).

Untitled Slide

• BJP-160
• LJP-40
• RLSP-23
• HAM-20

Manjhi issue

Jitan Ram Manjhi, who briefly served as Bihar chief minister a few months ago as a member of Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, was adamant that his party must be given as many seats to contest as Mr Paswan's party. He argued that he has greater influence among the deprived Dalits and Mahadalits, a sizeable chunk of voters in Bihar, where caste and community have played a major role in deciding elections.

The BJP had offered 15 seats to Mr Manjhi. He wanted 40.

On who is a bigger leader between him and Mr Paswan, Mr Manjhi said today: "It is for the people to decide."

Mr Shah was flanked at his press conference today by a smiling Mr Manjhi and Mr Paswan.

The BJP has rationed seats among its allies in a way that it can contest enough to have a chance at winning a majority, at 122 seats, on its own.

It takes on an alliance led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is seeking a third term. Mr Shah said today that the BJP's coalition will decide who will be chief minister only after the elections, which will be held in five phases beginning next month.

Corruption

The Bihar administration evicted former chief minister and BJP ally Jitan Ram Manjhi from the state’s sprawling guesthouse in the national capital where he was camping for more than a week.

Also, the JD(U)-RJD-Congress grand alliance headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar accused the NDA of violating the model code of conduct for the assembly elections, saying the Centre was running special trains for BJP workers from Bihar.

JD(U) leader KC Tyagi defended his government’s decision to force 70-year-old Manjhi to leave Bihar Niwas in the Chanakyapuri area on Sunday evening. “He was holding political meetings at Bihar Niwas. The government property was used for his electoral purpose.”

The BJP leadership quickly accommodated Manjhi in Rajasthan House on Sunday evening itself.

The grand alliance on Monday presented the chief election commissioner a video clip of Vikas Express, alleging that 60% discount on tickets was provided to BJP workers travelling to Mumbai, Raipur, Bhopal and Jaipur on special trains.

“How can the railway ministry give concession on cost of booking when the trains are used for partisan political purpose?” asked Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Legal expert KTS Tulsi argued that the concession was a bribe and the railways cannot provide such trains during elections.