The counting of votes polled in Bihar Assembly elections began on Tuesday at 8 am amid tight security and precautions to avoid the spread of COVID-19 pandemic during the process.
The counting of votes may herald a new era in state politics, with exit polls predicting a victory for the RJD-led Grand Alliance.
However, as per the early trends in the state, the possibility of the hung assembly cannot be overruled. And, if it happens then Chirag Paswan is likely to play the role of kingmaker in the state.
The Lok Janshakti Party of Chirag Paswan was earlier in an alliance with NDA, however, it left the alliance followed by the differences with Nitish Kumar's JDU. Since then, we have seen Chirag Paswan criticise Nitish Kumar and his party during the campaign rallies.
Paswan in his rallies, however, never criticised Narendra Modi and BJP. Even when the LJP allotted seats, it included several erstwhile BJP leaders in its list. The LJP has mostly fielded candidates against Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United and it is hoping to be an alternative option for BJP to Nitish Kumar.
Thus, now in case of fractured mandate in the state, it will be interesting to see which way he decides to go - to BJP or to Mahagathbandhan.
