LUCKNOW:The Bihar Assembly election results on Wednesday showcased the efforts put in by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to help the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) deliver a stellar performance in the electoral battle.
The campaigning by the two helped Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) garner votes, taking the NDA cross the majority-mark of 122. It bagged 125 seats, three more than the numbers required for a simple majority.
Along with Modi, Yogi was the BJP's star campaigner, and held 19 rallies in 17 districts, despite his preoccupation with by-elections in seven Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.
The NDA registered a landslide victory in areas where Modi addressed public rallies. NDA candidates also won in majority of 19 Bihar seats where Yogi campaigned for NDA chief ministerial face Nitish Kumar.
Modi held 12 rallies in just four days ahead of the three-phase Bihar elections. On October 23, he addressed public rallies in Sasaram, Gaya and Bhagalpur. He also held rallies at Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Patna ahead of October 28, which was the first polling phase in Bihar.
Modi rallies were held in east Champaran, Chhapra and Samastipur on November 1, while ahead of second phase of polling on November 3, the Prime Minister addressed public meetings in west Champaran, Saharsa and Forbesganj. NDA candidates won most of the 101 Assembly seats in Bihar where Modi campaigned.
Many strongholds of opposition Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance parties like the Rastriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress were swept away by the Yogi wave. The Yogi factor proved a NDA masterstroke, which was clearly visible in more than 75 Assembly constituencies in 17 districts of Bihar.
Launching a direct attack on the Grand Alliance by calling it the hub of 'Jungle Raj' and 'corruption', Yogi voiced issues like the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya and the abrogation of Article 370 of the Consitution in Kashmir during his public rallies in Bihar.
On October 20 and 21, Yogi held public rallies at Kaimur, Karakat, Jamui, Tarari and Paliganj to push the opposition on the back foot.
On October 28 and 29, it was almost predictable that the NDA candidates would win as massive crowds gathered at public rallies addressed by Yogi at Goriakothi seat in Siwan district, Govindganj seat in east Champaran district, Chanpatia in west Champaran district, Daraunda in Siwan district, Lalganj in Vaishali district, and Jhanjharpur in Madhubani district.
On November 2, Yogi rallies were held in west Champaran's Valmiki Nagar, Raxaul, Sitamarhi in West Champaran while he addressed public meetings on November 4 at Katihar, Bisfi in Madhubani district, Kewati in Darbhanga district, and Simri-Bakhtiarpur in Saharsa district.