The Hindu : Front Page : Nitish Kumar wins clear mandate in Bihar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 23, 2005

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Nitish Kumar wins clear mandate in Bihar

K. Balchand and Gargi Parsai

15-year Rashtriya Janata Dal reign comes to an end

PATNA/New Delhi: Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar has led the National Democratic Alliance to a resounding victory in the Bihar Assembly elections. This brings to a close the 15-year rule of the Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal in the State. Tuesday's clear mandate ends the political uncertainty that prevailed since the February elections threw up a hung Assembly.

Mr. Kumar's combine won 143 seats in the 243-member Assembly, with the JD(U) bagging 88 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party 55. The RJD has just 54 seats to its credit.

The JD(U) legislature party meeting will be held in Patna on Wednesday to elect Mr. Kumar leader. After obtaining a formal letter of support from the BJP, he will stake claim before Governor Buta Singh to form the government.

Swearing-in tomorrow

In New Delhi, chairman of the JD(U) Parliamentary Board Sharad Yadav told The Hindu after a meeting with BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushil Modi that Mr. Kumar would be sworn in Chief Minister along with about a dozen Ministers on Thursday.

Later in the night, the Election Commission issued a notification constituting the 14th Bihar Assembly.

Addressing newspersons in New Delhi, Mr. Kumar said the vote was a mandate for "change" and "governance."

In Patna, RJD supremo and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has conceded defeat and extended "support to Nitish but not to the BJP."

The former Chief Minister and RJD leader, Rabri Devi, is among the victors.

The NDA fell short of the halfway mark of 122 by 31 seats in the February elections, in which the JD(U) won 55 seats and the BJP 37. With no party in a position to form a government, President's Rule was imposed.

Now, the JD(U) combine has wrested 51 seats from Independents and the smaller parties, besides the RJD-led alliance. Apart from the JD(U) and the BJP, the only party that increased its strength is the Bahujan Samaj Party, which doubled its tally to four.

The strength of the RJD-led alliance, which included the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), came down by 24. The RJD yielded 21 seats; the Congress, which got nine seats, gave up one; and the NCP lost two of its three seats. The CPI(M) alone retained its position with one seat.

Lok Jan Shakti Party chief and Union Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who declined to be part of the RJD-led alliance and sought to project a third front with the Communist Party of India, , the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All-India Forward Bloc, fared the worst. His party lost almost two-thirds of its seats, winning just 10. The CPI retained its position with three seats. The AIFB and the RSP drew a blank.

The CPI(Marxist-Leninist) lost ground in two constituencies, winning five. The Samajwadi Party conceded two of its four seats. Only 10 of the 746 Independents won.

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Decline and fall of the RJD

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