Patna:
The RJD of opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav has accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy, Sushil Kumar Modi, of conspiring to put pressure on district and election officials to ensure verdicts in closely-contested seats are declared in favour of the ruling JDU-BJP alliance.
In a brief tweet posted in Hindi late on Tuesday night – as the counting of votes crossed the 12-hour mark – the RJD said officials had delayed handing certificates to winning candidates from at least 10 seats.
“The Nitish Kumar administration is delaying counting in 10 seats. The candidates who have won have not been given certificates. Sitting in the Chief Minister’s house, Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar are making the Chief Secretary exert pressure on officials from seats where the margin is close,” the party said in its statement.
क़रीब 10 सीटों पर नीतीश प्रशासन गिनती में देरी कर रहा है।जीते हुए उम्मीदवारों को सर्टिफ़िकेट नहीं दे रहा है। CM आवास में बैठकर नीतीश कुमार और सुशील मोदी CM के प्रधान सचिव से सभी DM और RO को फ़ोन करवा कर नज़दीकी लड़ाई वाली सीटों के पक्ष में फ़ैसला दिलाने का दबाव बनवा रहे है
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) November 10, 2020
The results of the Bihar Assembly election – the first major polling exercise to be held amid the Covid pandemic – are still unclear, more than 12 hours after counting began this morning.
The Election Commission has said the results have been delayed because of restrictions to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, such as the increased number of EVMs (from which votes must be collected and tabulated), polling booths and counting centres.
Earlier today the poll body held a press conference in which it said that tangible results were likely to be released late night. It also said that while the declaration of results had been delayed, it was striving to ensure that no errors creep in to the process.
The RJD, which is leading an opposition alliance that includes the Congress and some Left parties, was widely predicted as winning this election, according to several exit polls. The mahagathbandhan began the day well, surging into an early lead.
The BJP-led NDA, however, has fought back since then and is now marginally ahead in leads.
At 8.21 PM the NDA was ahead in 125 seats and the opposition alliance in 111. The 243-member Bihar Assembly has a majority mark of 122.
