New Delhi, Nov. 7 (UNI) Most of the exit polls telecast by various private news channels on Friday at the end of the final and third phase of voting for 243-member Bihar assembly, indicated the RJD-led grand alliance inching towards the striking range of wresting power in the state from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The results of Bihar assembly elections, the first such exercise held in the shadow of Covid-19 pandemic, will be declared on November 10. The half way mark for gaining simple majority is 122 seats.
While the Times Now-C Voter exit poll has given 116 seats to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The Rashriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led grand alliance or Mahagathbandhan was predicted to be getting 120 seats.
Jan Ki Baat has given the NDA between 91 and 117 seats and RJD was slated to get 118 to 138 seats while the Congress and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) were likely to get 5 to 8 seats respectively and others were put at 3 to 6 seats.
India TV, in its exit poll, indicated 112 seats to the ruling NDA in which BJP is projected to bag 70 seats and JD (U) 42 seats while 110 were seen to be going into the account of the grand alliance with the Congress projected to get 25 and RJD scoring victories on 85 seats.
The exit poll by TV9 Bharatvarsh projected 115 seats for the NDA and 120 seats for the grand alliance. It indicated four seats going to LJP while four to the account of others.
In phase three of polling on Friday 78 assembly seats went to polls. Over the past 10 days in the first two phases of polling on October 28 and November 3 as many as 71 and 94 seats witnessed polling respectively. The total number of electors in Bihar was put at 7.3 crore out of which an average of 54 per cent turned up to cast their votes to decide the fate of candidates in 243 seats. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of JD (U) has won the last three terms in a row and is seeking re-election for the fourth time.
India Today television network indicated that 44 per cent of respondents wanted Tejashwi Yadav of RJD as chief minister while 35 per cent favoured Nitish Kumar.
UNI VT/ ASH 2006