Bihar poll verdict is a victory of democracy: Modi attacks Oppn

People vote for parties that fulfil their aspirations and the recent Bihar assembly polls have shown that when governments prioritise development, voters put their faith in them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

- HT Correspondent

Narendra Modi

Delivering the Ramnath Goenka lecture, the PM said the outcome of the Bihar polls, which saw the Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance win a sweeping mandate, was a historic result. The NDA won 202 of the 243 seats to retain power in the state. He said the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal had “betrayed” the people. Instead of focussing on development, he said, it opted for the misrule of “Jungle Raj, using a term used by critics for the law and order record of the previous RJD-led government.

...Another thing that stood out was that nobody can overlook the increasing participation of people in democracy. There was the highest voter turnout in the history of elections in Bihar. Women turnout was about 9% more than the male turnout. This also is the victory of democracy,” the PM said.