Split in non-NDA votes favoured JD(U)-BJP combine in Bihar

Patna, May 21 (PTI) Ruling NDA in Bihar gained modestly due to a split in non-NDA votes and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's track record as the alliance's vote share registered a jump of 4.32 per cent that facilitated it in grabbing 32 of the state's 40 Lok Seats in the just-concluded polls.
In the 2004 general elections, almost all parties opposed to the NDA, with the exclusion of CPI-ML and CPI, had come together on one platform in Bihar.

The RJD-LJP-Congress-NCP-CPM alliance had then won the electoral battle comfortably, bagging 29 seats with a total poll percentage of 45.1 per cent.

The NDA had to rest content with a mere 11 seats with the JD(U) sharing six of them.

In 2009 general elections, the JD(U)-BJP combine gained modestly with its vote share rising from 36.93 per cent in 2004 Lok Sabha polls to 41.25 per cent.

Though there was a 1.50 per cent decline in vote share of the ruling JD(U) from 22.36 per cent to 20.86 per cent, its ally's votes went up to 20.39 per cent this time as compared to 14.57 per cent in 2004.

But, the vote share of RJD plummeted by 6.4 per cent from 30.67 per cent in 2004 to 24.26 per cent while that of Ramvilas Paswan's LJP by 4.03 per cent -- from 8.19 per cent to 4.16 per cent. PTI