Grand alliance claims 67% seats, NDA 80% in Leg 3

Patna: Both the BJP-led NDA and three-party grand alliance claimed that they would win over 40 out of the 50 assembly seats in the six districts which went to the polls in the third phase on Wednesday.
While assessing the voting trends and their probable wins, the top functionaries of the two political combines also held press conferences to drive home their points.“People’s support to the NDA candidates has been extraordinary. NDA has made inroads even in its erstwhile rivals’ boroughs.
It was reflected even in the third phase. We are winning about 40-42 of the 50 seats in the this phase,” said Union communications and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Prasad was accompanied by BJP general secretary and in-charge of the party’s Bihar affairs Bhupender Yadav, LJP state chief Pashupati Kumar Paras, RLSP state chief and Jehanabad MP Arun Kumar and HAM-S state spokesman Danish Rizwan.
Prasad said people of the state, including women, have responded positively to the BJP’s promise of ‘pramanik vikas (confirmed development)’. They have been voting overwhelmingly for the NDA.
Yadav said while RJD chief Lalu Prasad, in his speeches, has not talked about development, CM Nitish Kumar has to tell the people why he betrayed developmental aspirations of the districts of Purnia and Kosi divisions. “Lalu and Nitish say they will give reservation to the minority sections on religious lines by taking away from the quota for the scheduled castes people,” Yadav said.
Rizwan said the grand alliance leaders have divided Muslims on caste lines. They have tried to divide the Muslims on ‘pasmanda (backward)’ issue. Referring to Article 341 of the Constitution, Prasad said it mandates quota only for the scheduled castes people.
RLSP state chief Arun said the grand alliance leaders were in desperation as their candidate for Asthawan seat in Nalanda district “resorted to booth loot” and was chased away by people. Agitated people also manhandled an RJD candidate at Fatuha, he added.
On the other hand, the RJD-JD(U)-Congress combine also claimed to be winning at least two-thirds of the 50 seats. RJD national spokesman Manoj Jha said voters ignored the NDA and cast their votes in favour of the grand alliance candidates.
“We are getting support from even those who were staunch BJP supporters. After the third round of polling, we are sure that the Mahagathbandhan will sweep the election and NDA will face its worst defeat ever,” said Jha adding that this election will give new dimension to the country’s politics.
JD(U)’s Rajya Sabha MP Pavan K Varma said the BJP has conceded defeat and is busy finding alibi.
“After the Mahagathbandhan sweeps the polls, BJP will pass on the responsibility to its allies LJP, RLSP and HAM-S and protect PM Narendra Modi from embarrassment,” he said.
Ridiculing BJP for announcing ban on cow slaughter if NDA comes to power in Bihar, Varma said, “The leaders of BJP are ignorant of law of the land. In Bihar, cow slaughter is banned since 1955,” he added.
Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Ashok Choudhary claimed that the Mahagathbandhan would win at least 35 out of 50 seats in the third phase. “Our alliance would win not less than 170 out of 243 seats in the assembly,” he said.