In Bihar's Muslim-majority border, the Owaisi factor hit the grand coalition?

Patna, November 10, 2020, Tuesday

Today is the day of Bihar by-election results. This is the first time since the Coronation period that such a large-scale election has taken place. According to a source, Nitish and BJP's NDA alliance is leading in 18 seats with 90 per cent of the votes counted. While Maha Gadhbandhan is leading in 108 seats. However, these results are not final but the NDA government is forming a government in Bihar as per the trend while the grand alliance led by Tejaswi Yadav is lagging behind. Although there is a tough fight in more than 50 seats, the results may change, but the NDA has won more seats since the counting began.

Asaduddin Owaisi, an MP from Hyderabad and head of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in Bihar's Muslim-majority Seemanchal, is believed to have directly harmed the Congress-RJD alliance by fielding about 50 candidates. According to the information received, out of the candidates for 40 seats in Bihar, 18 were fielded only in Seemanchal. According to the Bihar Assembly polls so far, Owaisi's party is leading in two seats while it is in second position in nine seats. Thus, the calculations of the Owaisi Factor Grand Alliance in Seemanchal seem to be inverted. The BJP and the Janata Dal seem to be directly benefiting from the split vote.

The NDA's constituent parties are leading in 11 of the eight seats in Seemanchal while the grand alliance is leading in only eight seats. Owaisi's party appears to be ahead of the Amor and Kochadhaman constituencies. It may be recalled that Owaisi's candidate Akhtarul Iman came second in the last assembly elections while Owaisi's party won the Kishanganj seat in the 2012 by-elections.

In Kishanganj, the BJP is at number one, the Congress candidate at number two and Owaisi's party candidate at number two. Elsewhere, Ovalle may not seem to be winning, but it is clear that he is sticking to the grand coalition. If we look at the last assembly elections in 2012, the Congress had won 9 seats in Seemanchal.