Modi's coalition wins Bihar election as opposition slams voter roll purge

Over 4 million names dropped after voter list clean-up just months before state polls

- Mujib Mashal and Hari Kumar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's coalition swept to victory in an election for the government of one of India's largest states, triumphing in a race that was scrutinised over a chaotic overhaul of voter lists.

By the end of vote counting late on Nov 14, Mr Modi's coalition was on a path to form the government again in Bihar, the country's most impoverished state and home to over 130 million people.

The coalition had won 202 of the state assembly's 243 seats, putting it on track to improve its previous standing by nearly 80 seats.

Opposition groups had vehemently protested against a rushed exercise by election officials in the months before the election to clean up Bihar's voter lists.

More than four million names were dropped in a process marred by confusion and chaos, with opposition leaders claiming the exercise disproportionately affected groups sympathetic to them. Similar exercises are set to be carried out in several other states.

The election commission and Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have rejected the claims, saying the exercise eliminated dead, duplicate and fake voters on the electoral roll.

Both Mr Modi and Mr Nitish Kumar, the longtime chief minister of Bihar from a local party that is allied with the BJP, have built strong support among female voters.

Mr Kumar has introduced scholarships and entrepreneurship funds for women, and his ban on alcohol in the state has been popular among women, who blame the availability of liquor for exacerbating domestic violence.