Surmounting anti-incumbency of 15 years, a mutinous former ally, and a spirited challenge from a resurgent opposition that rose from its ashes like proverbial phoenix after the 2019 Lok Sabha poll debacle, Nitish Kumar- led NDA was back in power in Bihar on Wednesday with a slender majority.
The ruling coalition won 125 seats in the 243-member state assembly against 110 clinched by the opposition Grand Alliance to pave the way for a fourth successive term for Kumar in office but with diminished clout following a debilitating slide in the number of JD(U) lawmakers that came down to 43 from 71 in 2015.
Kumar was then a partner in the Grand Alliance which included Lalu Prasad's RJD and the Congress. Its defeat notwithstanding, the RJD, whose campaign Tejashwi Yadav, the younger son and heir to party supremo Lalu Prasad helmed, emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats.
While BJP performed a stellar role in NDA's victory winning 74 seats, RJD also gave a spectacular performance by bagging 75 seats and emerged as the single largest party in the 243-member Bihar legislative assembly.
The Mahagathbandhan including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties managed to secure 110 seats in the state's 243-seat legislative assembly. The first election in the country amidst conditions created by COVID-19 has paved the way for the return of Chief Minister Kumar for the fourth successive term in office.
The closely contested battle saw the Mahagathbandhan narrowing the gap between the two alliances during the day with political parties in fray keeping an eye on the narrow margins.
Here are a few names that won the polls with a high margin:
Warisnagar: JD(U) candidate Ashok Kumar won with the highest margin of 58,573 votes.
Sonbarsha: Ratnesh Sada of JD(U) won with the highest margin of 53,763 votes.
Triveniganj: Veena Bharti of JD(U) defeated RJD's Santosh Kumar from Triveniganj seat by a margin of 52,400 votes.
Jokihat: RJD's Sarfaraz Alam from Jokihat won with a margin of 53,980 votes.
Amour: Abdul Jalil Mastan of INC won from Amour seat with a margin of 51,997 votes.
Jamui: BJP candidate Shreyasi Singh defeated RJD's Vijay Prakash by a margin of 41,049 votes.
Here are a few names that won the polls with a low margin:
Hilsa: JD(U) candidate Krishnamurari Sharan urf Prem Mukhiya won with the lowest margin of 12 votes.
Barbigha: JD(U) candidate Sudarshan Kumar defeated Congress's Gajanand Shahi with the lowest margin of 113 votes.
Ramgarh: RJD candidate Sudhakar Singh defeated BSP's Ambika Singh with the lowest margin of 189 votes.
Matihani: LJP candidate Raj Kumar Singh defeated JD(U)'s Narendra Kumar Singh with the lowest margin of 333 votes.
Bhorey: JD(U) candidate Sunil Kumar defeated CPI-ML's Jitendra Paswan with the lowest margin of 462 votes.
Dehri: RJD candidate Phate Bahadur Singh defeated BJP's Satyanarayan Singh with the lowest margin of 464 votes.
Bachhwara: BJP candidate Surendra Mehata defeated CPI's Abdhesh Kumar Rai with the lowest margin of 484 votes.
Chakai: Independent candidate Sumit Kumar Singh defeated RJD's Savitri Devi with the lowest margin of 581 votes.
Kurhani: RJD candidate Anil Kumar Sahni defeated BJP's Kedar Prasad Gupta with the lowest margin of 712 votes.
Bakhri: CPI's Suryakant Paswan defeated BJP's Ramshankar Paswan with the lowest margin of 777 votes.
Parbatta: JD(U) candidate Dr Sanjeev Kumar defeated RJD's Digambar Prasad Tiwary with the lowest margin of 951 votes.
