‘BJP-Nitish Kumar won elections with EC support’: Minister Santosh Lad repeats ‘vote chori’ claim

BIDAR: Minister Santosh Lad on Monday called into question the Bihar assembly elections results, claiming that the Nitish-Modi duo came to power “with the support of the Election Commission. He repeated the claim of “vote chori,” alleging that the deletion of nearly 65 lakh votes helped the NDA win.

He further alleged that PM Modi giving Rs 10,000 to the women of Bihar also contributed to the Mahagathbandhan losing the polls.

“The reason for the defeat in the Bihar elections is that SIR deleted 65 lakh votes…PM Modi gave 10,000 rupees to women in exchange for a vote. What is the motive behind giving 10,000 rupees?” …With the support of the Election Commission, the BJP and Nitish Kumar have won the elections in Bihar,” the minister told reporters here.

Meanwhile, the new government formation is set to happen likely on November 17, with the Cabinet recommending dissolution of the current assembly by November 19 (Wednesday), according to Janata Dal (United) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.

The recommendation has been conveyed to Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan through Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Earlier, Nitish Kumar visited Raj Bhavan in Patna and met the Governor, a meeting seen as part of the transition process following the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) resounding victory in the recently concluded Assembly elections and the anticipated formation of the new government.

The Cabinet also passed two additional resolutions. The second resolution extended appreciation to government officials across Bihar for their cooperation throughout the current government’s tenure.

The Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 were held in two phases, on November 6 and November 11. The counting of the votes was done on November 14, resulting in the NDA’s victory in Bihar. The ruling NDA got 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House. This is the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in the assembly polls. In the 2010 polls, it had won 206 seats.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 89 seats. JD(U) won 85 seats, LJP (RV) won 19 seats, HAM (S) won 5 seats, and RLM won 4 seats. Mahagathbandhan got just 35 seats with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) winning 25 seats, Congress 6, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) – CPI(ML)(L) – two, Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) – one and Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M) one seat. (ANI)