Dharmendra Pradhan Calls High Turnout in Bihar Polls Pro-Incumbency Vote

Pradhan, who was appointed by the BJP as in-charge of elections in the state, spoke to PTI video a day after the 121 assembly segments that went to polls in the first phase recorded a turnout of 64.69 per cent, the highest turnout in the state’s history.

“This is great. It shows a pro-incumbency vote. There have been many instances in the recent past where people have come in large numbers to vote for the incumbent. The same is happening in Bihar, where public confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is rock solid and high as the Himalayas,” Pradhan said.

He said women came out to vote in large numbers and people interviewed by the media clearly said they were voting for development and security.

“This is a clear sign from which direction the wind is blowing,” Pradhan added, pointing to the NDA’s poll plan of “suashasan” (good governance) replacing the alleged “jungle raj” of the RJD-Congress era.

The senior BJP leader said he fully agreed with the prediction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the party’s former national president, that the NDA could win “160-plus seats” in the 243-member assembly.

Asked if JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar would return as chief minister, he said, “We reiterate that there is no vacancy for the post in the NDA, which has been occupied by the same person for 20 years. But in the opposition, where several members of the same family are contesting for the seat of power, this may be a problem.”

A senior BJP leader has disparaged INDIA bloc’s Prime Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, who hoped that “flutter voting” showed the RJD-led coalition would win.

“In democracy, people have the right to dream. Let them pamper themselves. It is just a matter of a few days for the results to be declared,” Pradhan said.

Replying to a question about Rahul Gandhi’s alleged “vote theft”, the Union minister claimed that the criticism pointed to the “mental bankruptcy of our Opposition Leader”.

“He appears to be guided by a team of social scientists who are conducting research only to create a false narrative. He is alleging vote theft even though his own party, the Congress, has posted its best-ever performance in several years in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” Pradhan said.

The BJP leader also downplayed the alleged attack on his party colleague and Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha’s convoy in Lakhisarai in the first phase of the assembly elections.

“Bihar is a big state where we have to ignore small incidents. When we were kids, horrific stories of poll violence were emanating from Bihar, where ballot box hijacking was the order of the day and countless innocent lives were lost. Today, we discuss polls quietly and comfortably, just a day after the polling took place. The state has come a long way,” said Pradhan.