PATNA, 24 February 2005 — An estimated 55 percent of the 26 million voters exercised their franchise yesterday in the final phase of polling for Bihar and Jharkhand assemblies where sporadic violence killed nine people and injured many.
Votes were cast for 93 assembly seats in Bihar and 28 in Jharkhand in the final phase. The counting of votes cast in the three-phased polling in Bihar and Jharkhand and the one-day ballot for the 90-seat Haryana Assembly will be held on Sunday.
As the polling ended yesterday, the final phase was proved to be the most violent in Bihar where nine people were killed and several others were injured.
Four people were killed when bombs they were assembling in a house in Raghunathpur assembly constituency of Siwan district went off after polling began, police said.
Three people were killed in the Mokamah constituency of Patna district, one in a gun battle with paramilitary personnel and two in firing by rival groups.
Two people were killed in Hajipur constituency in Vaishali district.
Meanwhile, exit polls in Bihar have predicted that the stranglehold of maverick politician Lalu Yadav, who heads the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), could loosen after 15 years. The rival BJP could make major inroads, according to the polls.
Electoral predictions in Jharkhand are divided, with some pundits banking on Chief Minister Arjun Munda to hold office for a second term while others expect Sonia Gandhi’s Congress party to storm to power.
The STAR News poll gave the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance 96 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats, with the RJD close behind with 85 seats. The Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) and the Congress party were tipped to respectively garner 26 and eight seats.
But Zee News gave the RJD-led combine and the BJP-led alliance 80 seats each, followed by the Congress-LJP combine with 40 and others bagging 42 seats.
While STAR News gave the BJP-led alliance 37 seats, Zee News predicted that the Congress was likely to get as many seats in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly.
According to STAR News, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress combine would get only 28 seats. Zee News gave the BJP and its allies 33 seats in Jharkhand. Both the polls gave the RJD and its Left allies four-five seats.
But Lalu dismissed all such predictions and claimed that his party will get two-third majority in Bihar and will retain power.
He said all the predictions of exit polls and opposition leaders would be wrong as the results will be declared on Feb. 27.
“I am “over-confident” about the victory of the RJD which would return to power on its own,” he said adding that neither the Congress nor the LJP of Ramvilas Paswan enjoyed “any base” in the state.
Terming the elections as “a fight between Lalu and all others (opposition)”, the RJD chief rubbished that development was the key electoral issue in the state.
“Development was an issue created by the opposition while making a bid to have a political mileage,” RJD leader said, adding the assembly poll brought into focus the lone issue “change Lalu”.
“I will not require support of anyone for renewal of another five term for the Rabri Devi government,” he said.
On the other hand, Lalu’s archrival Paswan while claiming that the poll result would be “astonishing”, said that Lalu’s RJD and its Muslim-Yadav equation have been finished.
He also claimed that his party together with the Congress would form the next “non-RJD government” in Bihar.”
Paswan ruled out any postpoll alliance with the RJD in the event of a hung assembly.
“I will not align with the RJD in my life-time,” he said.
