The three-phase Bihar state elections were the first major political event to take place in India since novel pandemic Coronavirus struck the country earlier this year. It remained a neck and neck contest with the opposition RJD-led Grand Alliance during the counting day.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance surpassing the majority mark of 122 seats in the State assembly, its supporters across India are exclaiming with joy, congratulating Prime Minister Modi – who rallied in several parts of Bihar by giving speeches – following this significant win.
Marking the election results, memers in India have taking to joking about the race, sparing no one – neither the election winners, nor the losing opposition alliance called the “Maha Gathbandhan” (“Grand Alliance”), which includes India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, along with some other leftist political parties.
The Congress-supported "Mahagathbandhan" Grand Alliance secured a total of 110 seats in Bihar’s legislative assembly. In 2015, the Grand Alliance had won the elections in Bihar but after 18 months, State Chief Nitish Kumar, however, moved to the rival camp of NDA and ruled the state till 2020.
Despite the COVID-19 situation, 40 million voted at polling booths in the Bihar elections.
Earlier this week, Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan said during a press conference that the Commission has deployed 63 percent more polling booths, in order to ensure that COVID-19 protocols were observed and to ensure that no booths were over crowded.