Bihar Election 2020: RJD-led Mahagathbandhan reaches out to AIMIM, former allies

With just 12 seats short of the magic number in Bihar, Tejashvi Yadav-led Grand Alliance is now reaching out to former allies who are now in the NDA. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) emerged as the single-largest party in the 243-member Bihar Assembly with 75 seats, but the mahagathbandhan fell short of the majority mark with 110 seats.

The Grand Alliance, aka Mahagathbandhan, can reach the winning number if it manages to get the Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM (five seats) and two NDA partners -- Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) -- on its side.

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While Sahani lost from Simri Bakhtiarpur, his party VIP and HAM(S) have four seats each. Both parties had switched over to the NDA just before the elections.

"What is the harm in making an attempt? If VIP and HAM(S) come to us, we can ensure they get a very good deal, much better than what the NDA can offer them. The AIMIM is in any case willing to support us," an RJD source told the Indian Express.

"Our channels will remain open," the source said, adding that Sahani "wants to become deputy CM" and RJD is willing to offer him the post.

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A HAM(S) leader confirmed an offer from the RJD, saying, "There is no question of going back to them. We have not yet forgotten our insult. The NDA will take good care of us."

Meanwhile, AIMIM Bihar president Akhtarul Aiman said that the party will do "whatever needs to be done to stop divisive forces from coming back to power".

Despite the slump in numbers, Kumar, who was declared the NDA's chief ministerial candidate by the BJP brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief JP Nadda, is set to take over the reins of the government. However, BJP is likely to get a lion’s share of berths in the state Cabinet even though it will be headed by Kumar.

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The BJP increased its strike rate from 33.75 percent in 2015 to 67.3 percent in 2020, while the RJDs number came down from an impressive 79.2 percent last polls to 52 percent this time.

The RJD-led Mahagathbandhanoverall strike rate was also brought down significantly by the Congress, which slid from 65.85 percent in the 2015 polls to 27.14 percent this poll, a decline of over 38 percentage points.

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