It is proving be an unprecedented day of gloom for the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ of RJD and Congress, who are facing the prospect of having their much-touted grand alliance being reduced to double-digit figures in the state. While the NDA alliance of BJP and the JD(U) seems to be set at forming the next government, much of the RJD workers and its sympathisers in the media seem to be shocked at the way the results are unfolding before them. It was the evening of November 7 when the exit polls were telecast bombastically by all media networks. While most of these fictitious exit polls gave a clear victory to the RJD-Congress combine, they are now suffering a major loss of face.
The results of today are nowhere close to what the exit polls had predicted. If it were up to the media, Tejashwi Yadav would have been coronated Chief Minister by now, even as he was declared the ‘youngest’ to-be Chief Minister of India on the day exit polls were being telecast. This gave a great sense of hope not just to the Yadav clan and RJD workers, but also to a section of Indian journalists, who began drooling at the prospect of the saffron party having another state snatched from its control.
As of the time this report was being filed, the BJP’s tally in Bihar was hovering around the 80-seat mark, making it the single largest party in the state’s assembly. Next up was the RJD, with leads over 65 seats. The JD(U) was a distant third with leads on close to 50 seats. The Congress, on fourth position, was leading on 19 seats. Two most sought-after exit polls – India Today-Axis and News18-Chanakya had given the BJP and JD(U) combine seats ranging from between the 69 to the 91 mark and dot 55 respectively. While the Chanakya poll emphatically said that the Mahagathbandhan would bag over 180 seats, India Today settled for a tally ranging between 139 to 161. In almost no poll was the NDA alliance given an edge over the RJD-Congress combine.
This had raised the hopes of the RJD tremendously, who hoped to make a comeback after 15 years of political exile in the state. Tejashwi Yadav was declared by the media the mantle carrier of Lalu Yadav’s ‘legacy’, as though it was an extremely likable and sought-after one. The results of today, however, have destroyed such ambitions of Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD and media. An NDA win over Bihar is now more than evident.
I was also thinking that RJD will win since all the exit polls were showing the same trend. Fortunately, they proved to be wrong.