People rejoice at NDA victory

Snehil Jaiswal / TNN / Nov 23, 2005, 02:28 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

The Feb elections in Bihar led to a hung Assembly, President's rule followed and people felt safe for a while.

PATNA: The February elections in Bihar led to a hung Assembly, President's rule followed and people felt safe for a while before the law and order situation returned to days of old.
The Assembly was subsequently dissolved and fresh elections were announced. The state went to the polls a second time in eight months and finally the much-expected results were declared on Tuesday.
The 15-year-long Lalu-Rabri rule in Bihar has come to an end.
Following the intervening months of uncertainty between the February and the just-concluded polls, it's now the time for people to relax and await fulfilment of their long list of expectations.

"Police humse hamaari mehnat ki kamaai nahi loote, yahi hum chahte hain. Humne to vote de kar apna kaam kar diya. Ab sarkaar ki baari hai," said Raja, a rickshaw-puller, visibly contented with the results.
Among the happy lot after Tuesday's results seems to be students of NIT Patna, who now boast of being the "juniors" to the chief minister-in-waiting Nitish Kumar (who graduated from the college then called Bihar College of Engineering).

"We want Nitish to do provide better facilities to our college and we're pretty confident that he'll do justice to his alma mater," said Shalini, an NIT, Patna, student.
Her friend Piyush was, however, of the view that the new government should do everything necessary to usher in speedy development to the state.
Career and development apart, safety and security seem to be high on the list of priorities for most people.
"If the new government continues to ignore infrastucture development and improvement of law and order, it'll do so at its own peril," said A P Poddar, retired AIG (prisons).
However, not all people are so upbeat over the end to the "15 dark years" of RJD rule. "The new government also comprises the same element that ruled us for 15 years.
I perceive it to be only a change of face without a change in quality," said Dr Rajiv Ranjan, HOD, Physiology, Patna Medical College, when contacted by TOI.
Kishanganj-based sociologist Vijay Prasad said: "Although the winds of change are sweeping through the state, it will have no impact in Kishanganj because NDA failed win any of the three seats in this Muslim-dominated district.
"The aspirations of people may be varied but the old adage "once bitten twice shy" seems to be the order of the day in Bihar. For, the people are in no mood to let the after-effects of 15 years of RJD rule haunt them forever.

End of Article