All eyes are on the Bihar Assembly election result today, which will decide whether Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar, who is preparing to take the chief minister post for the 10th time. Bihar registered a historic voter turnout of 67.13% in the two-phase elections to the 243 assembly seats, that was held on November 6 and 11. The counting of votes began at 8 am today.
Ahead of the counting of the Bihar polls, the BJP headquarters in Delhi is preparing jalebis, traditional sattu ke paratha and baigan ka chokha. "We are preparing jalebis, sattu ke parathe, baingan ka chokha. We can also prepare litti chokha here. Today is a festival for Bihar," a caterer said while speaking news agency ANI.
According to officials, 243 Returning Officers (ROs), assisted by 243 counting observers, will monitor the process in the presence of contesting candidates and their authorised agents.
Also Read | Bihar Assembly election results to be declared today.
Most exit polls have predicted a clean sweep for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), of which the JD(U) is a part. Tejashwi Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader who is the chief ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan, has dismissed the predictions and claimed the opposition bloc would form the government with a thumping majority.
To achieve a majority, any party or alliance must win 122 seats. Both the NDA and the INDIA bloc have claimed victory. Their claims regarding the record voter turnout also differ. While the NDA is calling it a mandate in support of good governance, the opposition is viewing it as a sign of the public's desire for change.