JD(U)-BJP?s ?development? mantra sweeps Bihar; Opp. routed

Patna, Nov 24 (IBNS) The ruling Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday returned to power in Bihar with a thumping win, virtually wiping out the Opposition as it bagged 206 of the total 243 seats.

A beaming Nitish Kumar, who will remain the chief minister, dedicated the victory to the people of the state and pledged of working with greater vigour for the development of the state.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, congratulating Kumar from New Delhi, assured of the Centre?s sustained cooperation with the state government for the cause of development of the state.

The JD(U)-BJP combine swept the polls and went on to claim absolute majority, picking 206 seats between them.

Both the parties increased their individual tallies substantially to improve the total standing from 143 seats in 2005 polls.

The junior partner BJP swept the urban areas while the JD(U) maintained its strongholds.

The Opposition, on the other hand, made a dismal show, losing major ground across the state and being relegated to poor seconds.

Lalu?s RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan?s LJP, which had contested the elections together, managed 24 seats between them, down from 64 in 2005 polls.

The Congress took a similar drubbing, bagging merely five seats against its nine last time.

Eight seats were bagged by others, including one by Communist Party of India.

Meanwhile, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar attributed the JD(U)-BJP alliance win to victory of development over caste politics and pledged to work even harder for the development of the state.

Terming it a ?victory of the people of Bihar?, Kumar, addressing a press conference as results trickled in indicating a massive mandate in his favour, said, ?Bihar has left caste behind. The verdict in the elections is the people’s stamp of approval for that ending.?

In a sharp attack on Opposition RJD and LJP, he said, ?People don?t want to read the writing on the wall.?

?Voters had to choose between progress and antiquated politics. They have chosen to surge ahead,? he said.

Pledging to work harder, he said, ?I promise the people of Bihar that we will work even harder than we have in the last five years. I will not shy away from hard work. We will face any tests together.?

The routed Opposition parties, conceding defeat, promised to come back strong in the state.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also congratulated Kumar for the clean sweep of the Bihar polls.

Gandhi said her party will ?start from scratch? and added, ?We did not have much hope. We took a deliberate decision not to work in alliance with other parties.?

Former chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supreme Lalu Prasad and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan also conveyed their wishes to the new government.

?We respect the mandate of the people, we congratulate the new government,? Lalu Prasad said, as Paswan sat beside him at a joint press conference.

Lalu, however, also hinted at possible foul play and said, ?I am not accusing anyone, but there is some mystery in their victory, we will find out.?

He maintained that the BJP and JD(U) has been able to win seats in areas where these parties have no known standing.