2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 243 seats of the Bihar Legislative Assembly 122 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnout | 56.91% (4.18%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seatwise Result Map of the election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Legislative Assembly election was held over five phases in Bihar through October–November 2015 before the end of the tenure of the prior Legislative Assembly of Bihar on 29 November 2015.[1][2]
In April 2015, the Janata Parivar Alliance group (a group of six parties – Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (Secular), Indian National Lok Dal and Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya))[3][4] announced their intention to fight the election, with Nitish Kumar as their Chief Ministerial candidate. The Janta Parivar was joined by the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party.[5] This coalition was restructured as Mahagatabandhan when the Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (Secular), Indian National Lok Dal and Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) departed from the Janata Parivar Alliance.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA fought the election alongside the Lok Janshakti Party, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and Hindustani Awam Morcha.[6][7][8]
Six left parties fought jointly, independently from both of the two main blocs.[9][10]
This election saw the highest voter turnout in Bihar assembly polls since 2000, with a 56.8% voter turnout in this election.[11] The RJD emerged as a single largest party with 80 seats, followed by JD (U) with 71 seats and BJP with 53 seats. In terms of vote share, BJP came first with 24.4%, followed by RJD with 18.4% and JD (U) with 16.8% and Congress got 6.7%.[12]
Background
[edit]Electoral process changes
[edit]Election Commission of India announced that around 1,000 Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines will be used along with EVM in 36 out of the 243 assembly seats in Bihar elections, spread over 38 districts.[13][14][15][16][17][18] ECIL manufactured VVPATs will be used in 10 assembly constituencies, while BEL manufactured VVPAT will be used in 26 assembly constituencies.[19] The election information was webcast for the first time and voters can locate their polling booth on phones via an app.[20] About 1.5 crore voters would be informed about the voting dates via SMS.[21]
Election Commission used three new software products – Suvidha, Samadhan and Sugam – to facilitate campaigning, public grievance redressal and vehicle management in Bihar.[22] Electoral Roll Management Software helped in addition/deletion/upgradation of rolls.[23] Android based app 'Matdan' helped the commission with poll-day monitoring in Bihar. Election Commission launched a special drive, Systematic Voters' Education And Electoral Participation (SVEEP) for voter awareness and higher voter turn out in Bihar elections.[24][25][26] Bihar would be the first state to have photo electoral rolls, with photographs of candidates on EVMs.[27][28]
Assembly constituencies of Bihar having VVPAT facility with EVMs[29] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Katihar | Purnia | Kishanganj | Saharsa |
Samastipur | Forbesganj | Munger | Jamui |
Madhubani | Begusarai | Khagaria | Gopalganj |
Supaul | Madhepura | Sasaram | Aurangabad |
Buxar | Jehanabad | Nawada | Sitamarhi |
Bhabhua | Motihari | Bettiah | Hajipur |
Gaya Town | Muzaffarpur | Darbhanga | Ara |
Biharsarif | Chhapra | Siwan | Kumhrar |
Bankipur | Digha | Bhagalpur | Banka |
Eleven NRI voters registered in the electoral rolls for the first time in Bihar electoral history. They were contacted by election officials through their family members.[30] It was the first time that NRIs cast their votes semi-electronically from foreign countries.[31] The e-postal ballot system and the existing proxy-voting facility is extended for NRI voters from their place of residence abroad.[32][33][34] But this facility is not available to migrant voters within India.[35][36][37]
A cross will be NOTA symbol to be used in this and subsequent elections.[38] The Election Commission introduced the specific symbol for NOTA, a ballot paper with a black cross across it, on 18 September. The symbol is designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.[39][40]
On 31 July, the ECI published the final voters' list for the election,[41] which has an overall population of 10,38,04,637, in accordance with the 2011 Census of India.[42][43]
S.No | Group of voters | Voters population |
---|---|---|
1 | Male | 3,56,46,870 |
2 | Female | 3,11,77,619 |
3 | Third gender | 2,169 |
– | Total voters | 6,68,26,658 |
Security
[edit]The security used Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) drones, called Netras (eyes) for the election.[44][45] The Election Commission of India decided that Bihar Police personnel would not be deployed at any of the 62,779 polling stations.[46] They would be manned by members of the Central Armed Police Forces.[47]
Bihar Legislative Council election
[edit]In July 2015, BJP-led NDA won 13 seats (including 1 independent backed by BJP) out of 24 seats of Bihar Legislative Council election.[48][49] JDU and RJD combine won 10 seats only, while 1 seat was won by an independent candidate.[50][51]
Central government actions
[edit]On 19 August, the central government notified 21 Bihar districts, including the capital Patna, as backward areas and unveiled tax rebates for them.[52] On 25 August, the central government released the religious data of the 2011 census.[53][54] Hindus constituted 82.7% (8.6 crore people) in Bihar, while Muslims constituted 16.9% (1.7 crore peoples).[55]
In July 2015, Jitan Ram Manjhi was accorded "Z"-plus security cover by the Union Home Ministry, while Pappu Yadav was accorded "Y" category security by government of India.[56][57]
Other political developments
[edit]In May 2015, the JDU government increased the Dearness Allowance (DA) by six percent to 11 percent for provincial government employees and pensioners.[58] In July, Nitish Kumar announced a 50 percent quota for OBC, EBC and SC/STs in all government contracts up to Rs 15 lakh.[59][60] In July, the government issued a notification to give caste certificates to children from upper caste Hindu and Muslim families whose annual income was below ₹1.5 lakh (US$1,800).[61]
In September, the government agreed to the creation of a dedicated fund for fencing off temples and the inclusion of two Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs), Nishad (Mallah) and Nonia, in the SC/ST category.[62][63] The state government also decided to provide grants-in-aid to 609 more madrassas across Bihar from the list of 2,459 registered by Bihar State Madrassa Education Board.[64] The Bihar government gave a tax-exempt status to Manjhi – The Mountain Man, a film based on Dashrath Manjhi, a Dalit who carved a path through a 360 ft long, 30 ft wide and 25 ft high hillock in 22 years (1960–1982).[65] Opposition parties accused Nitish Kumar government of doing nothing for Manjhi's village Gehlaur.[citation needed]
In April 2015, Nitish Kumar announced the JDU's decision to include few more castes, including the Teli, in list of Extremely Backward Class, which have 18% reservation in Bihar.[66][67]
Caste and religion data
[edit]The 2011 national census indicated that Scheduled Castes constituted 16% of Bihar's 10.4 crores population.[68][69] The census identified 21 of 23 Dalit sub-castes as Mahadalits.[70] The Mahadalit community consists of the following sub-castes: Bantar, Bauri, Bhogta, Bhuiya, Chaupal, Dabgar, Dom (Dhangad), Ghasi, Halalkhor, Hari (Mehtar, Bhangi), Kanjar, Kurariar, Lalbegi, Musahar, Nat, Pan (Swasi), Rajwar, Turi, Dhobi, Chamar and Paswan (Dusadh).[71] Among Dalits in Bihar, Chamars are the largest 31.3%, followed by Paswans (Dusadh) 30.9% and Musahars 13.9%.[72] The Paswan caste was initially left out of the Mahadalit category,[73] to the consternation of Ram Vilas Paswan.[74][75] Chamars were included later in Mahadalit category. Adivasis (Scheduled Tribes) constituted around 1.3% of the Bihari population.[76][77][78] They include the Gond, Santhal and Tharu communities.[79][80] There are about 130 Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) in Bihar.[62][81]
Estimated population of castes of Bihar before the caste survey.[82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90] | ||
---|---|---|
Caste | Population (%) | Notes |
OBC/EBC | 51% | Yadav – 14% Kurmis – 4% Kushwaha (Koeri) – 8% (EBCs – 26%[62][91][92][93][94] – includes[95][96][97] Teli – 3.2%) |
Mahadalits*+ Dalits (SCs) | 16%[98][99] | includes Chamar – 5%, Dusadh – 5%, Musahar – 2.8%[100] |
Muslims | 16.9%[55] | includes Shershahbadi, Surjapuri, Ansari castes[101][102] |
Forward caste | 15% [103] | Bhumihar – 6% Brahmin – 5%[104] Rajput – 3% Kayasth – 1% |
Adivasis (STs) | 1.3% [105][106] | |
Others | 0.4% | includes Christians, Sikhs, Jains |
Schedule
[edit]On 9 September, the Election Commission of India announced the dates for Bihar Assembly elections.[107]
Phase | Date | No. of constituencies | Covering districts | |
---|---|---|---|---|
I | 12 October | 49 | Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nawada, Jamui | |
II | 16 October | 32 | Kaimur, Rohtas, Arwal, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Gaya | |
III | 28 October | 50 | Saran, Vaishali, Nalanda, Patna, Bhojpur, Buxar | |
IV | 1 November | 55 | Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan | |
V | 5 November | 57 | Madhubani, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia, Katihar, Madhepura, Saharsa, Darbhanga | |
Counting | 8 November | 243 | ||
Source: Election Commission of India |
Parties and alliances
[edit]Party | Flag | Symbol | Photo | Leader | Seats contested | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rashtriya Janata Dal | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 101 | ||||
Janata Dal (United) | Nitish Kumar | 101 | ||||
Indian National Congress | Ashok Chaudhary | 42 |
On 7 June, Lalu Prasad Yadav announced the RJD was joining in an alliance with the JDU for the election.[108][109] On 13 July, he led a march demanding that the central government release its findings of the Socio Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC) on caste,[110][111][112] although Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan pitched for a comprehensive classification of caste data of SECC 2011 before its release,[113] and also said Lalu, Nitish will be worst impacted from the caste data even if its released.[114][115] BJP Leader Sushil Kumar Modi called for rectification of errors in the cases of 1.46 crore people in India, including 1.75 lakh in Bihar, before releasing the caste data.[116]
On 3 August, incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar declared that he would not stand in the election.[117][118] On 11 August, he announced the seat-sharing formula, according to which JD(U) and RJD will contest 100 seats each, while Congress will contest 40 seats in Bihar.[119] NCP pulled out of this alliance later.[120] On 23 September, Nitish Kumar announced the list of 242 candidates for the JDU–RJD–INC alliance.[121][122][123] OBCs were most favoured in the alliance ticket distribution plan.[124][125][126] 10% of tickets were allotted to women candidate by the alliance.[127] The Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi assigned the task to shortlist Congress candidates for each of the 40 assembly constituencies to former Governor of Kerala and Nagaland Nikhil Kumar.[128]
Nitish Kumar was the declared chief ministerial candidate for the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). Kumar started his Har Ghar Dastak (door-to-door) campaign on 2 July.[129][130][131] Initially there were definite political overtures when both Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar shared stage together in a public [132] event commemorating former chief minister Satyendra Narain Sinha's birth anniversary that witnessed veiled attacks on each other, the last time [133] they did it in public. Prashant Kishor was a key election strategist for the alliance.[134][135] The Janata Dal-United started 400 audio-visual vans called Jan Bhagidari Manch raths[clarification needed] for the campaign.[136] Kumar is launching 'Bihar Samman Sammelan' in various cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, to connect with the Bihari diaspora.[137]
However, the grand alliance broke on 26 July 2017 as a result of the resignation by Nitish Kumar and on the next day 27 July JD(U) made an alliance with NDA and Nitish Kumar sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar for the 6th time and Sushil Modi was sworn in as the deputy chief minister for the 3rd time.
Party | Flag | Symbol | Photo | Leader | Seats contested | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bharatiya Janata Party | Sushil Modi | 157 | ||||
Lok Janshakti Party | Ram Vilas Paswan | 42 | ||||
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party | Upendra Kushwaha | 23 | ||||
Hindustani Awam Morcha | Jitan Ram Manjhi | 21 |
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used 243 GPS-monitored raths (modified Boleros) and video vans in the election.[138][139][140] The BJP also set up a monitoring headquarters in Patna to track the movement of the GPS-equipped vehicles which will visit 40,000 villages in all 243 constituencies.[141][142] The campaign was kick-started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Muzaffarpur on 25 July, where he also inaugurated the permanent campus of IIT Patna in Bihta.[143][144][145][146] The BJP election exercise also involved three lakh volunteers.[clarification needed][138] Modi held his second election rally in Gaya on 9 August[147][148] and his third rally in Arrah[149][150] and Saharsa on 18 August.[151][152] Modi announced a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package[clarification needed] for Bihar.[153][154] He addressed his fourth rally in Bhagalpur on 1 September.[155] Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan also campaigned for the BJP.[156][157] Modi addressed several rallies after 25 October in several constituencies.[158]
In a rally in Buxar on 26 October, Modi vowed to defend reservation of Dalits, STs, OBCs.[159][160][161] He said of the Mahagathbandhan that it was trying to hatch a conspiracy to carve out a sub-quota on the basis of religion as the Supreme Court of India has said reservation cannot be more than 50%.[162][163][164][165] On 27 October, in Bettiah, he again accused Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav of diluting the share of SC, ST and OBC.[166][167] It promoted the view that an attempt was being made to take the reservation of Dalits and other OBCs and give it to other minorities.[168] Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also agreed with Modi's assertions that the idea of reservations on the basis of religion is fraught with danger.[169][170] On 1 November, Modi repeated the allegations that the two leaders came together in July 2005 to demand a review of the policy to provide for religion-based reservation.[171][172] A video dating from 2005 which was leaked showed Lalu was asking for a quota for Muslims.[173] On 3 July, BJP announced its seventh morcha, the BJP OBC Morcha, reportedly in regards to the election.[174][175][176]
On 11 June, Jitan Ram Manjhi announced his party Hindustani Awam Morcha alliance with the NDA for the election.[177][178]
On 14 September, the NDA announced its seat distribution: BJP got 160 seats, LJP got 40 seats, RLSP got 23 seats and HAM got 20 seats.[179] The NDA did not announce any chief ministerial candidate.[180] BJP announced the names of 154 candidates in three lists.[181][182][183] Caste played a major role in distributing tickets.[184][185] BJP also accommodated five candidates of the Hindustani Awam Morcha.[186] Later, the BJP gave the Imamganj seat to HAM for Majhi is contesting and BJP reduced its seat tally to 159.[187][188] On 1 October, the BJP released its manifesto.[189]
Socialist Secular Morcha
[edit]On 19 September, the leaders of six parties – Samajwadi Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Jan Adhikar Party, Samras Samaj Party, National People's Party and Samajwadi Janata Dal Democratic – announced the formation of a third front known as the Socialist Secular Morcha. SP and NCP fought on most of the seats. NPP fought on 3 seats. [190] On 15 October, NCP leader Tariq Anwar announced that his party had decided to leave the third front.[191][192]
Left Front
[edit]On 24 July, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, the All India Forward Bloc, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party decided to run in all constituencies on a join ticket citing its call for an alternative platform.[10] The CPI will contest 98 seats, while the CPI-ML, CPI(M), SUCI, Forward Bloc, and RSP will contest 98, 43, 10, 9, and 3 seats, respectively.[193] CPI released its first list of 81 candidates on 16 September 2015.[194]
Others
[edit]Muslim parties
[edit]At least six Muslim parties contested the election.[195] AIMIM contested six seats.[196]
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi addressed a rally in Kishanganj on 16 August.[197][198] Owaisi accused Nitish and Lalu of keeping the Seemanchal region (consisting of 24 seats) as a backward region.[199][200][201] AIMIM is contesting on 6 assembly seats in Seemanchal region where Muslim voters play a major role.[202][203][204] He addressed a public rally in Kishanganj on 4 October in the Sontha village, which is part of the Kochadhaman Assembly constituency.[205][206][207] He held further rallies at many places in Kishanganj and Purnia.[208][209]
On 5 October, AIMIM released its first list of its six candidates for the election.[210]
Bahujan Samaj Party
[edit]In June 2015, the Bahujan Samaj Party said it would contest all 243 seats.[211][212] In July, the BSP initially released its first list of 49 candidates, including five women candidates, by Bharat Bind, the president of the BSP Bihar unit.[213] National party leader Mayawati planned to campaign for its candidates.[214] BSP's first list has 11 Other Backward Class (OBCs) and 11 Muslims, while they also field Dalits and OBCs from non-reserved seats.[215] On 6 September, Mayawati said of the central government that it was being "remote-controlled" by the "communal and fascist" organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).[216][217][218]
Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Munquad Ali (Rajya Sabha MP), and Ram Achal Rajbhar were appointed to form a strategy to consolidate the Dalits, Most Backward Castes (MBCs), and Muslim votes.[219] On 9 September, Mayawati questioned the announcement of Dearness Allowance (DA) by the central government just before the election and again accused the RSS and its affiliated Sangh Parivar organizations of using the 2011 national census for fear-mongering against Muslim population growth for sectarian purposes, as well as to divert attention from such issues as the alleged failure of the central government to deliver on its promises. She added that the census also showed positive signs such as the sex ratio among Muslims is 951 females to 1,000 males, which is higher than the national average and indicated a slowing of the Muslim population growth rate.[220] On 10 September, she called for the deployment of central forces in large numbers on electoral duty to assure a free and fair election and further asked the ECI to keep a watch on possible sectarian ploys by the BJP.[221][222]
Mayawati officially launched the party's campaign on 9 October from Banka.[223] On 13 October, addressing a rally in Rohtas and Kaimur districts, she claimed that the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and the party leadership had surrendered to the BJP. She claimed that it has fielded candidates after consulting with the BJP.[224][225] She further called on the NDA to not allow the reservation policy for OBCs and SC/STs to fall under the RSS' influence.[226] On 25 October, Mayawati while addressing a rally in Buxar district of Bihar said that Samajwadi Party played in the hands of BJP due to which Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) broke away from it. She also alleged that BJP is working only for the Business class and the Nitish-Lalu governments did nothing for the poor.[227]
Minor
[edit]Expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav created the Jan Adhikar Party before the election and announced to fight against the Lalu-Nitish alliance.[228][229] Yogendra Yadav has announced that Swaraj Abhiyan may extend its support to certain political parties, however it was not clear which one.[230]
On 17 September, Shiv Sena announced that it will contest over 150 seats during the election.[231][232] On 19 September, a third front – Socialist Secular Morcha – announced its seat distribution: SP got 85 seats, Janadhikar Party got 64 seats, NCP got 40 seats, SSP got 28 seats, SJP got 23 seats and NPP got three seats.[233] Former U.K. banker Akshay Verma's Sarvajan Kalyan Loktantrik Party contested about 90 seats in the election.[234]
The Aam Aadmi Party and JVM-P decided that they will not contest the election, but will campaign against the NDA.[235][236]
Opinion polls
[edit]When conducted | Ref | Polling organisation/agency | Sample size | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MGB | NDA | Other | ||||
Apr–May 2015 | [237] | ABP News[238] | NA | 127 | 111 | 5 |
Jun–Jul 2015 | [239] | ABP News – Nielsen | NA | 121 | 118 | 4 |
August–September 2015 | [240] | India Today – Cicero | 5,968 | 106 | 125 | 12 |
August–September 2015 | [241] | India TV–CVoter poll | 10,638 | 120–128 | 94–106 | 17–21 |
3–7 September 2015 | [242] | ABP News – Nielsen | 4,493 | 122 | 118 | 3 |
12–13 September 2015 | [243] | Zee News Survey | 31,906 | 70–103 | 140–173 | 0 |
23 September 2015 | [244] | Times Now – CVoter | 7,786 | 112 | 117 | 14 |
October 2015 | [245] | Leadtech – infoelections.com | 11,566 | 73 | 168 | |
8 October 2015 | [246] | CNN-IBN–Axis Poll | 27500 | 137 | 95 | 11 |
7 October 2015 | [247] | ABP News | NA | 112 | 128 | 3 |
October 2015 | [248] | India Today – Cicero poll | NA | 122 | 111 | 10 |
October 2015 | [249] | News Nation | 7,000 | 115–119 | 120–124 | 2–4 |
October 2015 | [250] | India TV– Cvoter | 9,916 | 108–124 | 111–127 | 4–12 |
Election
[edit]The electoral process cost about ₹300 crore (US$36 million) to the Bihar government exchequer.[251][252][253]
The electorate in Chandila village of Maker block in Saran district's Amnour Assembly constituency boycotted the election and no votes were cast in protest against the government's failure to bring electricity to their village.[254][255]
Exit polls
[edit]The Axis APM polls was not finally aired by its commissioning news channel, CNN–IBN.[256]
Polling organisation/agency | Ref | Sample size | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MGB | NDA | Other | |||
ABP News – Nielsen | [257] | — | 130 | 108 | 5 |
CNN–IBN – Axis | [256] | — | 176 | 64 | 3 |
India Today – Cicero | [258] | — | 111–123 | 113–127 | 4–8 |
NDTV – Hansa | [259] | 76,000 | 110 | 125 | 8 |
India TV–Times Now–CVoter | [260] | 35,000+ | 112–132 | 101–121 | 6–14 |
News 24 – Today's Chanakya | [261] | — | 83 | 155 | 5 |
Results
[edit]The result was announced on 8 November.[262] The counting of EVMs of 14 assembly constituencies of Patna district was done in AN College Patna.[263][264] The NOTA option had nine lakhs, or 2.5%, of popular votes and was the highest it had achieved in Bihar elections.[265][266] The number of Yadav MLAs increased to 61 in the Bihar assembly.[267]
Results showed that, of the 53 seats won by BJP, 27 were urban areas, which signified that BJP had dramatically shrunk back to its traditional urban support base in Bihar. BJP failed to make a big impact in the rural areas of Bihar, which has one of the lowest urbanization rates. Only 11.3% of the population of Bihar lives in urban areas, which is lowest in India after Himachal Pradesh.[268]
According to one analysis, RJD was the biggest beneficiary of this election. RJD increased its seat tally by 59 compared with the previous election. RJD had the best strike rate by winning 81 of the 101 seats contested. RJD became the single largest party in Bihar Assembly. RJD defeated BJP in 36 seats BJP had won in the last election, similarly, it took 25 seats JD (U) had won in the last election.[269]
Summary
[edit]178 | 58 | 7 |
Mahagathbandhan | NDA | Others |
Alliance | Political party | Votes | Vote % | Change in vote % |
Vote % in seats contested |
Seats contested |
Won | Net change in seats |
% of seats | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mahagathbandhan | Rashtriya Janata Dal | 69,95,509 | 18.4 | 0.44 | 44.35 | 101 | 80 | 58 | 32.92 | ||
Janata Dal (United) | 64,16,414 | 16.8 | 5.81 | 40.65 | 101 | 71 | 44 | 29.21 | |||
Indian National Congress | 25,39,638 | 6.7 | 1.68 | 39.49 | 41 | 27 | 23 | 11.11 | |||
NDA | Bharatiya Janata Party | 93,08,015 | 24.4 | 7.94 | 37.48 | 157 | 53 | 38 | 21.81 | ||
Lok Janshakti Party | 18,40,834 | 4.8 | 1.95 | 28.79 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0.82 | |||
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party | 9,76,787 | 2.6 | - | 0.64 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0.82 | |||
Hindustani Awam Morcha | 8,64,856 | 2.3 | - | 26.90 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0.41 | |||
Left Front | Communist Party of India | 5,16,699 | 1.36 | 0.29 | 3.43 | 98 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
CPI(ML) Liberation | 5,87,701 | 1.54 | 0.29 | 3.82 | 98 | 3 | 3 | 1.23 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 2,32,149 | 0.61 | 0.21 | 3.32 | 43 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) | 11,621 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.74 | 10 | 0 | 0 | ||||
All India Forward Bloc | 6,936 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.21 | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Revolutionary Socialist Party | 3,045 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Socialist Secular Morcha |
Samajwadi Party | 3,85,511 | 1.0 | 0.45 | 1.83 | 85 | 0 | 0 | |||
Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) | 5,14,748 | 1.4 | — | — | 64 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Nationalist Congress Party | 1,85,437 | 0.5 | 1.32 | 2.82 | 40 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Samras Samaj Party | — | — | — | — | 28 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Samajwadi Janata Dal Democratic | — | — | — | — | 23 | 0 | 0 | ||||
National People's Party | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Others | Bahujan Samaj Party | 7,88,024 | 2.1 | 1.11 | 2.21 | 243 | 0 | 0 | |||
Shiv Sena | 2,11,131 | 0.6 | 0.21 | 1.84 | 150 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Sarvajan Kalyan Loktantrik Party | 1,08,851 | 0.3 | — | 0.91 | 90 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | 1,03,940 | 0.3 | 0.31 | 2.02 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
Garib Janata Dal (Secular) | 92,279 | 0.2 | — | 0.66 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen | 80,248 | 0.2 | — | 8.04 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Independents | 35,80,953 | 9.4 | 3.82 | 9.57 | 1150 | 4 | 2 | 1.64 | |||
NOTA | 9,47,276 | 2.5 | — | 2.49 | 243 | — | — | — | |||
Total | 3,76,73,594 | 100.00 | 243 | ||||||||
Valid votes | 3,76,73,594 | 99.94 | |||||||||
Invalid votes | 23,384 | 0.06 | |||||||||
Votes cast / turnout | 3,76,73,594 | 56.91 | |||||||||
Abstentions | 2,85,46,215 | 43.09 | |||||||||
Registered voters | 6,62,43,193 |
Results by district
[edit]District | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
MGB | NDA | Other | ||
West Champaran | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
East Champaran | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
Sheohar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Sitamarhi | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
Madhubani | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
Supaul | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Araria | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Kishanganj | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Purnia | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Katihar | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Madhepura | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Saharsa | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Darbhanga | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
Muzaffarpur | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
Gopalganj | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Siwan | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Saran | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
Vaishali | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
Samastipur | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Begusarai | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Khagaria | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Bhagalpur | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Banka | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Munger | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Lakhisarai | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Sheikhpura | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Nalanda | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Patna | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
Bhojpur | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
Buxar | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Kaimur | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Rohtas | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Arwal | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Jehanabad | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Aurangabad | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Gaya | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
Nawada | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Jamui | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Total | 243 | 178 | 58 | 7 |
Results by constituency
[edit]MLA statistics
[edit]- | # |
---|---|
SC | 38 |
ST | 2 |
Yadav | 61 |
Muslim | 24 |
Rajput | 19 |
Koeri | 19 |
Bhumihar | 17 |
Kurmi | 16 |
Vaishya | 16 |
Brahmin | 10 |
Kayasta | 3 |
Total | 243 |
- 1 in every 4 new members in Bihar Assembly is a Yadav[272]
- Elected MLAs caste-wise-2015[273][274][275]
- ಬಿಹಾರದ ಶಾಸಕರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾದವರು ಶೇ 25ರಷುı!
Government formation
[edit]Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar was sworn in as chief minister for the fifth time on 20 November 2015 after the Mahagathbandhan alliance won a sweeping victory, taking 178 seats.[276] The two sons of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Tejaswi and Tej Pratap were also sworn in as ministers. Tejaswi Yadav became Deputy Chief Minister. Apart from Nitish Kumar, 12 members each from the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal and four from the Congress were administered the oath of office as ministers.[277]
On 26 July 2017, the Grand Alliance broke and a new coalition government between JD(U) and the BJP was formed.[278]
Voting analysis
[edit]A phase-wise analysis of the polling percentages puts the fifth and final phase on the top with a 60% turnout. The polling in this round beats the 58.5% turnout recorded in the fourth phase, as also 53.7% voting in the third phase, 55.5% in the second, and 55.8% in the first phase.
- 2015 – 56.9%; 2010 – 52.7%; 2005 – 45.9%; 2000 – 62.6% (Assembly Polls were held twice in 2005 due to a fractured verdict.)[11]
See also
[edit]- 2015 elections in India
- List of Assembly constituencies of Bihar
- Chief Ministers of Bihar
- 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
- Fifth Nitish Kumar ministry
- Sixth Nitish Kumar ministry
References
[edit]- ^ "Amit Shah sets Mission 185+ for Bihar BJP in 2015 Assembly Polls". Bihar Prabha. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- ^ "Bihar Assembly Elections 2015: Jitan Ram Manjhi has become 'announcement minister', says Sushil Modi". india.com. February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "6 Parties of Janata Parivar Announce Merger, Mulayam Singh Yadav to be Chief of New Party". NDTV.com.
- ^ Jha, Srinand (16 April 2015). "Six parties unite to form Janata Parivar; Mulayam is the new party chief". hindustantimes.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015.
- ^ "Analysis: Advantage Janata Parivar, but it's a long fight ahead". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015.
- ^ "Bihar election: BJP starts campaign, wins over Manjhi to its camp". The Times of India. 12 June 2015.
- ^ Tiwari, Ravish. "Bihar elections 2015: BJP needs to reach out to Mahadalits". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Rise of Janata parivar". Deccan Herald. 19 April 2015.
- ^ Catch News. Voters dissatisfied with Nitish & Lalu will choose us, not BJP, says CPI(ML) chief
- ^ a b "Left parties to contest all 243 Bihar Assembly seats". India Today. Patna. Indo-Asian News Service. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Bihar sees highest turnout in 15 years". The Times of India. 6 November 2015.
- ^ "In Bihar, BJP fails to win, but tops vote share". The Times of India. 10 November 2015.
- ^ "Bihar Assembly polls possible in Sept-Oct: CEC Nasim Zaidi". www.indiatvnews.com. 17 May 2015.
- ^ "Bihar Assembly polls: Haven't received official proposal regarding Janata Parivar merger, says CEC". Zee News. 20 May 2015.
- ^ "Bihar assembly polls likely to be held in Sept-Oct: CEC". hindustantimes.com. 17 May 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015.
- ^ "36 Seats in Bihar to Have Electronic Voting Machines With Paper Trail Facility". NDTV.com.
- ^ "Poll-bound Bihar to get 36 EVMs with paper trail facility". indianexpress.com. 5 August 2015.
- ^ "News, Breaking News, Latest News, News Headlines, Live News, Today News CNN-News18". News18.
- ^ "General Election to the State Legislative Assembly of Bihar, 2015 – Use of EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail System (VVPAT)" (PDF). eci.nic.in. 22 September 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2015.
- ^ Chauhan, Chetan (13 August 2015). "Bihar polls from mid-October, maybe spread over 4–7 phases". hindustantimes.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015.
- ^ Shandilya, Manish (18 September 2015). "बिहार चुनाव में पांच सबसे बड़ी चुनौतियां". bbc.com (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 20 September 2015.
- ^ Verma, Sanjeev Kumar (4 April 2016). "Apps for India, from Patna Election Commission uses city firm's software". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Tech-savvy Election Commission behind smooth election in Bihar". The Times of India. 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Systematic Voters' Education And Electoral Participation - SVEEP" (PDF). eci.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2014.
- ^ "Vote and make me proud: Muzaffarpur to citizens". The Times of India. 11 October 2015.
- ^ Kumar, Manan (13 October 2015). "Bihar polls record 57% in first phase". DNA India.
- ^ Virk, Aviral (10 September 2015). "Contesting the Bihar Polls? Dummy Candidates Beware". TheQuint.
- ^ "Now, photos of candidates on EVMs to weed out 'dummies'". The Times of India. 30 March 2015.
- ^ "EC move to allay fears about errors in EVMs". The Times of India. 2 October 2015.
- ^ "Dil Bihari: Eleven NRIs enrol as voters in state". The Times of India. 2 November 2015.
- ^ "NRIs may cast e-votes in Bihar election". The Times of India. 15 June 2015.
- ^ "Domestic migrants may get to vote during polls in native places". Hindustan Times. 20 September 2015.
- ^ "Why India's migrants are unable to vote". BBC News. 8 May 2014.
- ^ "NRIs can now vote in Indian elections without coming here". The Times of India. 13 January 2015.
- ^ Ghildiyal, Subodh (9 October 2015). "Can NaMo push Kamandal chariot into Mandal heartland?". epaperbeta.timesofindia.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016.
- ^ "NRIs can vote, not migrant labourers: Centre and EC". The Times of India. 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Migrants can't vote in native place, Election Commission tells Supreme Court". The Times of India. 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Cross mark is now NOTA symbol". The Times of India. 20 September 2015.
- ^ "Now, 'NOTA' has an electoral symbol too". dna. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ Jain, Bharti (18 September 2015). "'None of the Above' option on EVMS to carry its own symbol from Bihar polls". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Election Commission publishes final voters list for Bihar elections". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Election Commission publishes final voters list for Bihar Assembly polls". Firstpost. 31 July 2015.
- ^ Sanjit Oberai (October 2015). "Infograph: Caste, Community and Gender, Bihar's Voters in Numbers". The Quint.
- ^ "Bihar polls: UAVs, sniffer dogs in action for strict security". Hindustan Times. 6 October 2015.
- ^ "Drones will monitor Bihar polls". www.sunday-guardian.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ "On the eve of Bihar polls, Maoist belt turns into war zone". Firstpost. 12 October 2015.
- ^ "Election Commission's neutrality: Will Zaidi fit in Seshan's shoes?". The Times of India. 3 October 2015.
- ^ "Bihar legislative polls: Setback to Nitish, Lalu as 'grand alliance' scores 10". The Times of India. 11 July 2015.
- ^ "BJP-led NDA wins 14 out of 24 seats in Bihar Legislative Council elections". CNN-IBN.
- ^ "News, Breaking News, Latest News, News Headlines, Live News, Today News CNN-News18". News18.
- ^ "BJP wins seven of nine seats of Bihar Legislative Council". The Times of India. 10 July 2015.
- ^ "In poll-bound Bihar, Patna & 20 districts get backward status". The Times of India. 20 August 2015.
- ^ Tikku, Aloke (26 August 2015). "Hindu proportion of India's population less than 80%: Census 2011". hindustantimes.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015.
- ^ "Muslim share of population up 0.8%, Hindus' down 0.7% between 2001 and 2011". The Times of India. 26 August 2015.
- ^ a b Singh, Vijaita (25 August 2015). "Bihar elections among factors in religious data of Census 2011 release". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Now, Pappu Yadav gets 'Y' category security". DNA India. 29 July 2015.
- ^ National Bureau (21 July 2015). "Jitan Ram Manjhi gets Z-plus security". The Hindu.
- ^ "Nitish Kumar government hikes Dearness Allowance for employees, pensioners". timesofindia-economictimes. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015.
- ^ Singh, Santosh (2 July 2015). "Nitish kumar's poll bonanza for backward classes; 50% quota in Bihar govt contracts". indianexpress.com.
- ^ "Bihar: BJP, JD(U) set for a war of sops ahead of Assembly polls". Firstpost. 2 July 2015.
- ^ Mishra, Dipak (14 July 2015). "Sops for upper-caste students". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
- ^ a b c Singh, Santosh (8 September 2015). "Nitish Kumar's gambit: temple fund, 2 EBCs added to SC/ST list". indianexpress.com.
- ^ "CM playing 'football' with Nishads: BJP". The Times of India. 8 September 2015.
- ^ "With eye on polls, grants given to 609 madrassas". The Times of India. 9 September 2015.
- ^ "Tax rebate to Manjhi biopic raises eyebrows". The Times of India. 20 August 2015.
- ^ "High Court nod to include two castes on extremely backward class list". The Times of India. 5 February 2017.
- ^ "In Bihar caste rejig, the backward list grows longer". indianexpress.com. 13 March 2014.
- ^ Utpal Bhaskar (27 August 2015). "Foreign diplomats line up for Bihar elections". livemint.com.
- ^ "How Bihar Elections Could Shape India's Future". HuffPost.
- ^ Uttam, Kumar (12 June 2015). "Bihar polls: Jitan Ram Manjhi announces alliance with BJP". hindustantimes.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015.
- ^ "News, Breaking News, Latest News, News Headlines, Live News, Today News CNN-News18". News18.
- ^ "With Paswans in Mahadalit category, no more 'dalits' left in state". The Times of India. 23 April 2018.
- ^ "Paswans too come under category of 'Mahadalit' in Bihar". The Times of India. 14 April 2018.
- ^ Banerjee, Shoumojit (19 November 2009). "Non-inclusion of Paswans in Maha Dalit list angers Paswan". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Bihar CM includes Paswan caste in Mahadalit category". Business Standard India. 15 February 2015 – via Business Standard.
- ^ Banerjee, Shoumojit (16 August 2009). "Does Bihar know how many tribals live in the State?". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "27 lakh SC & ST families to benefit from Food Law in Bihar". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 10 December 2014 – via Business Standard.
- ^ "Bihar assembly elections 2015: Experiments in the caste lab of Bihar". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ^ "Special package for Tharu tribals in Bihar". The Hindu. 21 January 2009 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ Sinha, R.N. (9 October 2014). "Stage set for tribal all-woman battalion". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014.
- ^ "Bihar state EBC list" (PDF). gad.bih.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2015.
- ^ Gilani, Iftikhar (20 May 2015). "Election Commission in a spot: Bihar has 6.01 crore adults, but more than 6.21 crore voters". DNA India.
- ^ Kumar, Chinmaya; Choudhary, Abhishek (28 May 2014). "How Bihar was won". indianexpress.com.
- ^ "Now Lalu wants to do a Maya in Bihar". The Times of India. 28 March 2009.
- ^ "The caste factor while casting votes in Indian elections". hindustantimes.com. 9 April 2014. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015.
- ^ AM Jigeesh. "Caste determines Bihar's electoral arithmetic". Business Line.
- ^ "Nitish gives 'Maha Dalit' benefits to Paswan community". The Hindu. 5 April 2010 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ Gidwani, Deepak (8 May 2014). "Why did Narendra Modi suddenly turn to caste?". DNA India.
- ^ "Bihar poised to return to politics of caste, religion". mint. 5 August 2013.
- ^ Amitabh Srivastava (30 November 1999). "Upper castes in Bihar unhappy with Nitish Kumar". India Today.
- ^ "Voice of unity for EBC voters". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015.
- ^ "Bihar elections still remain about slicing and dicing caste, EBCs are the wild card". Times of India Blog. 12 September 2015.
- ^ "Frenemies: BJP's tie-up with Jitan Ram Manjhi could give it edge in Bihar polls". Economic Times Blog. 8 June 2015.
- ^ Chatterji, Saubhadra (28 October 2010). "Bihar voters in dilemma". Business Standard India – via Business Standard.
- ^ "BJP ties up with OBC leader Upendra Kushwaha in Bihar". The Times of India. 17 February 2014.
- ^ "Jitan Ram Manjhi emerges critical player in poll-bound Bihar". The Times of India. 27 May 2015.
- ^ "BJP may bring in Kushwaha as OBC face". www.sunday-guardian.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ Kumar, Devendra (14 July 2014). "Can RJD-JD(U) stop BJP's rise in Bihar?". livemint.com.
- ^ Jha, Dhirendra K. (13 February 2015). "Bihar's Mahadalits pick sides in Nitish-Manjhi tussle". Scroll.in.
- ^ "Bihar polls: Rallying behind Jitan Ram Manjhi, Musahars vow to unseat Nitish Kumar". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Bihar polls: People made me cry a lot, says BJP's 'pucca Musalman'". The Indian Express. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "Will the Muslim militia polarise community on caste lines in Bihar's Imamganj?". Firstpost. 15 October 2015.
- ^ Jha, Dhirendra K. (23 May 2015). "Is Nitish Kumar working on a new Bihar poll strategy that excludes Laloo and Mulayam?". Scroll.in.
- ^ "Brahmins In India". magazine.outlookindia.com.
- ^ "Bihar brings all Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes' families under National Food Security Act". DNA India. 9 December 2014.
- ^ "Nitish banks on caste calculations, Muslims". www.sunday-guardian.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Five-phase Bihar polls to begin from Oct 12, counting on November 8: Election Commission". The Times of India. 9 September 2015.
- ^ "Lalu, Nitish seal the deal: RJD, JD(U) form alliance for Bihar polls, seat sharing talks on cards". Firstpost. 8 June 2015.
- ^ "Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav alliance may be a 90-seat worry for BJP". The Economic Times.
- ^ Tewary, Amarnath (14 July 2015). "Lalu leads march for caste census data". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Lalu's Ultimatum to Modi Government on Caste Census Data". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "Caste census data demand is 'jehad': Lalu". The Hindu. 22 July 2015 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "'Ram Vilas Dalit face wherever you go, Jitan Ram Manjhi can be Mahadalit face'". indianexpress.com. 29 July 2015.
- ^ "Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar to be hit hardest if caste data released: Paswan". indianexpress.com. 19 July 2015.
- ^ "Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar to be hit hardest if caste data released: Ram Vilas Paswan". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Caste census data to be release after error correction: Sushil Modi". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 21 July 2015 – via Business Standard.
- ^ "Won't contest Bihar polls, will devote time for campaigning, says Nitish Kumar". India Today. 3 August 2015.
- ^ "Won't contest Bihar elections: Nitish Kumar". economictimes.indiatimes.com. 3 August 2015. Archived from the original on 6 August 2015.
- ^ "Nitish Kumar Announces Seat-Sharing Formula For Bihar Elections". HuffPost. 12 August 2015.
- ^ "Bihar elections: NCP pulls out of anti-BJP alliance, may contest alone". indianexpress.com. 13 August 2015.
- ^ "Bihar polls: Nitish Kumar releases 'joint list' of 242 candidates, OBCs get lion's share". indianexpress.com. 23 September 2015.
- ^ Singh, Santosh (24 September 2015). "Nitish Kumar yields, Lalu Prasad gets both his sons an Assembly ticket each". indianexpress.com.
- ^ "Nitish-led alliance releases list of 242 candidates for Bihar polls". The Times of India. 23 September 2015.
- ^ "OBCs most favoured in alliance plan". The Times of India. 23 September 2015.
- ^ Singh, Santosh (7 October 2016). "In Bihar elections, it is my social combination versus yours". indianexpress.com.
- ^ "Bihar elections: OBCs and Dalits 70% in Nitish list, upper castes 42% in BJP". The Indian Express. 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Little room for women in Nitish's 'Grand' design". The Times of India. 24 September 2015.
- ^ Singh, Anand (11 September 2015). "Bihar". thestatesman.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Mishra, Vandita (30 June 2015). "Har Ghar Dastak: Nitish's Bihar strategy is old fashioned door-to-door campaigning". indianexpress.com.
- ^ "Nitish sounds poll bugle with 'Har Ghar Dastak'". The Times of India. 3 July 2015.
- ^ Sajjad, Mohammad (8 November 2015). "How Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav won Bihar". Rediff.com. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ Srivastava, Amitabh (13 August 2015). "They may have 'amicably' come to a seat-sharing agreement, but 15 months of tumultuous relationship later, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav still remain frenemies". m.indiatoday.in. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Srivastava, Amitabh (10 November 2015). "Giant slayer". m.indiatoday.in. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Singh, Santosh (15 November 2015). "Team 178: Faces behind Grand Alliance's victory in Bihar polls". indianexpress.com.
- ^ "Amit Shah vs Prashant Kishor: Who will be wizard for forthcoming Bihar elections?". Firstpost. 20 July 2015.
- ^ "News, Breaking News, Latest News, News Headlines, Live News, Today News CNN-News18". News18.
- ^ "Nitish, BJP to woo Bihari diaspora". The Times of India. 3 August 2015.
- ^ a b Aurora, Bhavna Vij. "Bihar polls: BJP's Amit Shah steps us technology usage to micromanage election campaign". The Economic Times.
- ^ "BJP to use 160 GPS-monitored raths ahead of Bihar polls". India Today.
- ^ AURORA, BHAVNA VIJ. "BJP set to focus on ground zero to win in Bihar polls; chalks out campaign plan down to block, panchayat levels". The Economic Times.
- ^ Singh, Rohini. "Bihar polls 2015: How is Amit Shah planning to meet the challenge?". The Economic Times.
- ^ Sharma, Shantanu Nandan. "Bihar polls: How Nitish Kumar is trying to ward off a high octane NDA that's taking the state by storm". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Modi inaugurates IIT-Patna campus". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015.
- ^ Kumar, Roshan (14 July 2015). "Modi sets IIT campus date". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
- ^ "PM to inaugurate Bihta IIT-P campus on July 25". The Times of India. 13 July 2015.
- ^ "BJP set to focus on ground zero to win in Bihar polls; chalks out campaign plan down to block, panchayat levels". The Times of India. 13 July 2015.
- ^ "PM Modi Gaya rally: Much at stake for Manjhi". The Times of India. 6 August 2015.
- ^ "5,000 security men for PM's Gaya rally today". The Times of India. 9 August 2015.
- ^ "'Acche din' for Bihar: PM Modi announces Rs 1.25 lakh crore package". The Times of India. 19 August 2015.
- ^ "PM Narendra Modi Announces Rs 1.25 Lakh Crore Package for Bihar: 10 Developments". NDTV.com.
- ^ "News, Breaking News, Latest News, News Headlines, Live News, Today News CNN-News18". News18.
- ^ "Admn on toes for PM visit to Saharsa, Ara". The Times of India. 16 August 2015.
- ^ "Untitled Page". pib.gov.in.
- ^ "Prime Minister's Package for Bihar – 2015 August 18, 2015". Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ Surabhi Malik (1 September 2015). "Modiji, Stop The Chest Thumping, Tweets Nitish Kumar". NDTV.com.
- ^ "Ajay Devgn's second rally in Bihar cancelled due to an unruly crowd". The Times of India. 14 October 2015.
- ^ "Ajay Devgn requests better arrangements for events like Bihar rally". Hindustan Times. 15 October 2015.
- ^ "At Buxar, PM Modi gives BJP campaign a brazen communal spin; plays on the fears of Dalits". Firstpost. 26 October 2015.
- ^ Singh, Sanjay Kumar. "Grand alliance conspiring to introduce religious quota: PM Narendra Modi". The Economic Times.
- ^ "PM Narendra Modi seeking "communal polarisation" through quota remark: Congress". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Will never allow quota on religious lines, PM Narendra Modi says". The Times of India. 26 October 2015.
- ^ "PM Alleges 'Conspiracy of Sin' in Bihar, Vows to Protect Quota". NDTV.com.
- ^ "Modi alleges plot to take away SC, ST, OBC quotas". The Hindu. 26 October 2015 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ Singh, Santosh (27 October 2015). "Nitish and Lalu conspiring to give Dalit, OBC quota to another community: PM Modi". indianexpress.com.
- ^ Supriya Sharma (27 October 2015). "Mr Prime Minister, please do not peddle lies to pit the poor against the poor". Scroll.in.
- ^ Varma, Gyan (27 October 2015). "Modi again alleges Nitish, Lalu conspiring to take away share of dalits, backwards quota". mint.
- ^ "Bihar polls: PM Modi attacks 'grand alliance', likens it to '3 Idiots'". Zee News. 27 October 2015.
- ^ Singh, Santosh (25 December 2015). "Bihar polls: BJP puts 'quota conspiracy' theory out in print". indianexpress.com.
- ^ Chaturvedi, Rakesh Mohan. "Bihar polls: Grand Alliance's idea of reservations on the basis of religion is fraught with danger, says FM Arun Jaitley". The Economic Times.
- ^ Chaturvedi, Rakesh Mohan. "All those who are involved in the traditional caste psyche will suffer a big setback: FM Arun Jaitley". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Nitish, Lalu had together sought religion-based quota in 2005, says PM Narendra Modi". The Times of India. November 2015.
- ^ Tiwari, Ravish. "Dalit Muslims, Dalit Christians & quota: What is it all about?". timesofindia-economictimes.
- ^ "On video, what Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar said about quota for Muslims". The Indian Express. 6 November 2015.
- ^ "BJP creates OBC morcha ahead of Bihar election". DNA India. 4 July 2015.
- ^ "With eye on Bihar polls, BJP to set up new OBC front". hindustantimes.com. 4 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015.
- ^ "BJP Questions JD(U)'s Source of Funds for Poll Campaign". www.outlookindia.com.
- ^ "'Will get rid of unholy Nitish-Lalu combine': Ex-CM Manjhi ties up with BJP for Bihar polls". Firstpost. 12 June 2015.
- ^ Mishra, Ashok (9 July 2015). "Sons and daughters crowd Bihar poll space". hindustantimes.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015.
- ^ Hebbar, Nistula (14 September 2015). "NDA firms up Bihar action plan". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Five vote-splitters of Bihar". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ "Winnability, caste, age: Amit Shah's 3-point formula for Bihar polls". The Indian Express. 22 September 2015.
- ^ "Bihar polls: BJP declares 11 candidates in third list". The Indian Express. 20 September 2015.
- ^ "Eye on Lalu's vote cache, BJP fields 22 Yadavs". The Times of India. 21 September 2015.
- ^ Bhatt, Sheela (3 October 2015). "Bihar polls: Now the race is for getting the caste right for campaigners too". indianexpress.com.
- ^ "Yadav vs Yadav: How BJP is attempting to break Lalu's traditional vote bank". timesofindia-economictimes. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015.
- ^ Matthew, Mammen; Dubey, Binod (19 September 2015). "Bihar polls: BJP releases second list of 99 candidates". hindustantimes.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015.
- ^ "Paswan, Prasad get fresh security layer for Bihar campaign". The Times of India. 25 September 2015.
- ^ "Two Mahadalit Heavyweights To Face Off In Maoist-hit Imamganj". HuffPost. 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Bihar polls: BJP releases vision document, promises 'much-awaited' development". The Times of India. October 2015.
- ^ "Samajwadi Party teams up with Pappu Yadav, NCP, 3 others to form third front". timesofindia-economictimes.
- ^ "Mulayam front suffers big blow, NCP to go it alone". The Times of India. 16 October 2015.
- ^ "Bihar polls: NCP quits Third Front, cites Mulayam Singh's 'pro-BJP statement'". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Bihar 2015". Election Commission of India.
- ^ "OBCs, EBCs, Dalits dominate CPI list of 81 candidates". The Times of India. 16 September 2015.
- ^ "3 Muslim parties enter Bihar, 3 others vow to thwart them". The Indian Express. 1 October 2015.
- ^ "MIM in Serious Fight in Bihar, Says Party Chief Asaduddin Owaisi". NDTV.com.
- ^ "AIMIM need to work to remove Muslim only party image: Asaduddin Owaisi". The Economic Times.
- ^ Jha, Dhirendra K. (24 August 2015). "Can Owaisi break new ground in Bihar and reverse the past trend of the Hindi belt?". Scroll.in.
- ^ "Asaduddin Owaisi's Kishanganj rally makes JD(U), RJD and Congress nervous". 17 August 2015.
- ^ "Bihar elections: Owaisi wants special package for Seemanchal". 16 August 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015.
- ^ "Nitish, Lalu responsible for 'backward' Seemanchal: Owaisi". abplive.in. 16 August 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015.
- ^ "MIM in fray to win in Bihar". The Times of India. 12 October 2015.
- ^ "Bihar polls ground report: Smiling Modi, grim Nitish". dailyo.in.
- ^ "MIM in serious fight in Bihar: Asaduddin Owaisi". 12 October 2015.
- ^ "Akbaruddin Owaisi calls PM Modi 'Shaitan' and 'Zaalim'; blames him for 2002 Gujarat riots". abplive.in. 4 October 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015.
- ^ "अकबरुद्दीन ने किया पीएम मोदी के खिलाफ आपत्तिजनक भाषा का प्रयोग" (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ^ Indo-Asian News Service (4 October 2015). "Modi a tyrant and a devil says Akbaruddin Owaisi". India Today.
- ^ "As Asaduddin Owaisi campaigns across Seemanchal, Muslims ask: Will he unite or divide votes?". The Indian Express. 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Owaisi ripples in 6 border seats". The Times of India. 16 October 2015.
- ^ "AIMIM Names 6 Candidates for Bihar Elections". NDTV.com. 5 October 2015.
- ^ "Will contest the Bihar assembly elections with full preparation and strength, says Mayawati". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ Thakur, Meenal (11 September 2015). "Bihar polls: After SP, BSP to contest all seats independently". livemint.com/. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ ANI (13 July 2015). "BSP releases first candidates list for Bihar polls". Business Standard India. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ NewsWire (12 July 2015). "BSP names 49 candidates for Bihar polls". CanIndia News. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ Shah, Pankaj (26 July 2015). "Maya set to play dalit trump card in Bihar polls". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ "Modi government being 'remote-controlled' by RSS, Mayawati says". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Modi govt being 'remote-controlled' by RSS: Mayawati". tribuneindia.com/news/nation/modi-govt-being-remote-controlled-by-rss-mayawati/129474.html. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Modi government being remote-controlled by RSS: Mayawati : India, News". India Today. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ TNN (7 September 2015). "Team BSP marches to Bihar". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ Tripathi, Ashish (9 September 2015). "Mayawati accuses Modi govt of releasing religion-based census to woo voters in Bihar". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Mayawati seeks more security for Bihar polls". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "BSP supremo Mayawati seeks more security forces for Bihar elections". timesofindia-economic times. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.[dead link ]
- ^ Kumar, Madhuri (18 September 2015). "BSP likely to cut into dalit votes, spoil NDA show". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ Shah, Pankaj (13 October 2015). "Mayawati attacks SP, says Mulayam is supporting BJP". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ Mohan, Archis (20 October 2015). "Mayawati, the unlikely ally of Bihar's 'Grand Alliance'". Business Standard Opinion. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ "BSP Chief Mayawati Promises Quota for Upper Caste Poor". NDTV.com. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ "NCP broke ties with SP in Bihar because of BJP, says Mayawati". The Times of India. 25 October 2015.
- ^ "Purnea MP Pappu Yadav forms new Jan Adhikar Party". The Economic Times. 10 June 2015.
- ^ "Expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav floats new party". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 17 May 2015. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015.
- ^ "Swaraj Abhiyan may support parties in Bihar polls: Yogendra Yadav". dna.
- ^ "Shiv Sena says will contest over 150 seats in Bihar polls". 17 September 2015 – via Business Standard.
- ^ "Shiv Sena says will contest over 150 seats in Bihar polls". Yahoo News India. 17 September 2015.
- ^ "SP teams up with Pappu, NCP, 3 others to form third front". Press Trust of India. 19 September 2015 – via Business Standard.
- ^ "From corridors of UK bank to colonies of fishermen". The Times of India. 13 October 2015.
- ^ "JVM-P to support Bihar alliance against BJP". The Times of India. 21 June 2015.
- ^ "AAP not to contest Bihar assembly election". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "ABP News Opinion Poll: The mood in Bihar". ABP News Bureau. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "ABP News–Nielsen opinion poll: Nitish Kumar's wave gaining momentum in Bihar". ABP Live.
- ^ "ABP News–Nielsen opinion poll: JD(U)–RJD–Congress alliance to badhat, Nitish Kumar's wave gaining down in Bihar". ABP News Bureau. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "BJP allies get majority". Deccan Herald. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ "Lalu-Nitish alliance ahead of BJP-led combine in India TV-CVoter poll in Bihar". www.indiatvnews.com. 9 September 2015.
- ^ Chandrasekhar, Dheeraj (15 September 2015). "ABP News – Nielsen Opinion Poll: JD(U) neck and neck with NDA in Bihar, to win 122 seats". abplive.in. Archived from the original on 17 September 2015.
- ^ "Modi-led NDA to get massive mandate in Bihar, says Zee News survey". DNA India. 19 September 2015.
- ^ "BJP and Nitish-Lalu alliance neck and neck in Bihar: Times Now-CVoter survey". The Times of India. 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Assembly Election Results Dates Candidate List Opinion/Exit Poll Latest News, Political Consulting Survey Election Campaign Management Company India". infoelections.com.
- ^ "News, Breaking News, Latest News, News Headlines, Live News, Today News CNN-News18". News18.
- ^ "ABP News-Nielsen Final Opinion poll: Modi's magic continues, NDA likely to get majority in Bihar". abplive.in. 7 October 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Bihar Election: India Today-Cicero poll predicted a tight fight". India Today. 8 October 2015.
- ^ "NN's Opinion Poll: NDA likely to get majority in Bihar; Nitish most favoured for CM". newsnation.in. 9 October 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015.
- ^ "NDA slightly ahead of grand alliance in Bihar photofinish, says India TV-CVoter pre-poll survey". www.indiatvnews.com. 8 October 2015.
- ^ "Bihar polls cost state exchequer Rs 300 crore". The Times of India. 7 November 2015.
- ^ "India's greatest feat". The Express Tribune. 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Bihar elections: Countdown ends, counting all set to begin". The Times of India.
- ^ "Bihar polls: 'No electrification, no vote' at Saran's Chandila village". The Economic Times. 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Bihar election: Villagers boycott polls, want bijli first in Chandila". India Today.
- ^ a b "Bihar polls: TV channel drops exit poll that predicted Alliance sweep". The Indian Express. 5 November 2015.
- ^ "ABP News-Nielsen Bihar Exit Poll 2015". infoelections.com.
- ^ "India Today – Cicero Bihar Exit Poll 2015". infoelections.com.
- ^ "BJP Gets 125 of Bihar's 243 Seats: NDTV's Exit Poll". infoelections. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ^ "India TV–CVoter exit poll projects clear win for Nitish-led grand alliance in Bihar". India TV News. 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Bihar Assembly Elections 2015 – Exit Poll". Today's Chanakya. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Bihar Bihar Election Results 2015". infoelections.com.
- ^ "Bihar administration gears up for counting". The Times of India. 4 November 2015.
- ^ "EVMs in strongrooms, CISF jawans on guard". The Times of India. 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Nota polled highest in Bihar till date". The Times of India. 9 November 2015.
- ^ "Four parties that did worse than Nota this Bihar election". Hindustan Times. 8 November 2015.
- ^ "Bihar election results 2015: 1 in every 4 new members in Assembly is a Yadav". The Times of India. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "Bihar election: BJP's campaign found no resonance in villages". The Times of India. 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Bihar verdict: How RJD, Congress, JDU turned vote share to seats". Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "Partywise Result". eciresults.nic.in. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Lection, [sic] 2015 to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar" (PDF). eci.nic.in. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Bihar verdict: More Muslim MLAs, fewer women". 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Bihar election results 2015: 1 in every 4 new members in Assembly is a Yadav". The Times of India. 10 November 2015.
- ^ "Business News Today: Read Latest Business news, India Business News Live, Share Market & Economy News". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Bihar election results 2015: More Muslim legislators this time in assembly". The Times of India. 10 November 2015.
- ^ ANI (20 November 2015). "Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister for fifth time". Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Amarnath Tewary (20 November 2015). "Bihar Assembly polls 2015: Nitish Kumar takes over as Bihar Chief Minister for the third time". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "BJP Offers Support To Nitish Kumar, To Join Government". msn.com. 26 July 2017. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017.