"NDA going to register thumping majority in Bihar," says RLM's Upendra Kushwaha

Patna (Bihar) [India], November 6 : Noting that the polling for the phase second has not taken place yet, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Thursday took a dig at Mahagathbandhan CM face Tejashwi Yadav over his claims of forming the government in Bihar and expressed confidence that the NDA will secure an absolute majority after the conclusion of the assembly polls.
Polling is underway for 121 constituencies in the state of Bihar.
"People are voting for NDA in numbers more than our expectations. Based on the reports we have been receiving from across Bihar, the NDA is going to register a thumping majority in Bihar," Kushwaha told reporters here.
To a query about Tejaswi Yadav, the opposition CM face, claims that Mahagathbandhan is going to form the government, he said that the RJD leader noted
"It is essential for him (Tejashwi Yadav) to say that (Mahagtahbandhan will win) right now because this is the first phase of the elections; the second phase is yet to be held. If he expresses disappointment from now on, his workers will be demoralised. To boost the morale of his workers, he has to say that, but the trends across Bihar are clear, it is in favour of NDA," the RLM chief said.
The voter turnout in Bihar for the first phase of the assembly elections stands at 53.77 per cent as of 3:00 PM, according to data shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Among the 18 districts, Begusarai recorded the highest turnout of 59.82 per cent, followed by Muzaffarur at 58.40 per cent and Gopalganj at 58.17 per cent. Patna district continues to record a slow-moving voter turnout among all districts at 48.69 per cent.
Lakhisarai district recorded a voter turnout of 57.39 per cent, followed by Madhepura, which recorded a voter turnout of 55.96 per cent.
As of 3:00 PM today, a turnout of 50.07 per cent per cent was recorded in Bhojpur, followed by 51.69 per cent in Buxar, 51.75 per cent in Darbhanga, 54.77 per cent in Khagaria, 52.17 per cent in Munger, 52.32 per cent in Nalanda, 55.22 per cent in Saharsa, 56.35 per cent in Samastipur, 54.60 per cent in Saran, 49.37 per cent in Sheikhpura, 50.93 per cent in Siwan, and 53.63 per cent in Vaishali.
Among the key constituencies, Raghopur recorded a turnout of 55.20 per cent, Mahua at 52.11 per cent, 51.17 per cent in Alinagar, Tarapur at 55.33 per cent, Lakhisarai at 55.47 per cent, Chapra at 50.88 per cent, Bankipur at a low 34.80 per cent, Phulwari at 54.12 per cent, Raghunathpur at 50.63 per cent, Siwan at 51.65 per cent, and Mokama at 55.12 per cent.
The first phase will decide the fate of several senior leaders, including RJD's Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Mangal Pandey and JD(U)'s Shravan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Choudhary. Tej Pratap Yadav is also in the fray in the first phase.
In 2020, polling took place in three phases. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had secured 125 seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan (MGB) won 110.
Among the major parties, the Janata Dal (United) secured 43 seats, the BJP secured 74, the RJD secured 75 seats, and the Congress secured 19. The JD(U) contested 115 constituencies, the BJP 110, whereas the RJD contested 144 seats and the Congress 70.
The first phase of voting in Bihar, covering 121 assembly seats, will conclude at 6:00 PM. Due to security considerations, polling time has been curtailed to 5:00 PM in some constituencies.
The remaining 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase on November 11. The counting of votes will happen on November 14.