The JD(U)-BJP alliance today appears to be heading for an emphatic victory to retain power in the Assembly elections in Bihar with the combine ahead in over 100 seats for which initial trends were available.
Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) is aheadin 65 seats while its partner BJP is leading in 43 seats in the elections to the 243-member House.
The RJD-LJP alliance is way behind at about 25 seats while the Congress was leading in four constituencies. Others are ahead in ten seats
In the last Assembly elections in 2005, the JD(U)-BJP alliance got 143 seats with JD(U) 88 and BJP 55. RJD and LJP together had 64 seats in the outgoing House. Congress had nine.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said in New Delhi that the trends indicated that the people's mandate was for development, maintenance of law and order and good governance.
"There is a new hope for Bihar. It reaffirms many political myths will go underground. The biggest myth is a Congress resurgence. Congress is no longer relevant in any part of the country," he told reporters.
Among JD(U) ministers leading were Vijendra Yadav (Supaul), Narendra Narain Yadav JD(U) (Alamgarh), Ram Parvesh Rai (Barauli) and Hari Prasad Shah (Laukaha).
BJP ministers leading were Ashwini Choubey (Bhagalpur), Nand Kishore Yadav (Patna Saheb) and Renu Devi (Bettiah).
State Congress president Choudhury Mehboob Ali Kaiser was trailing behind the JD(U) candidate at Simri-Bakhtiarpur.
State RJD president Abdul Bari Siddique was trailing behind his nearest JD(U) rival at Alinagar.
The Congress is the only party which fielded candidates in all 243 constituencies followed by the BSP which contested 239 seats. The JD(U) contested 141 seats and its ally BJP 102.
RJD contested 168 seats and ally LJP in 75.
