Parties with 'nationalism and vikas' will win: BJP leader

As voting for 94 assembly constituencies is underway in Bihar, BJP leader Rakesh Sinha asserted that parties who have principles of nationalism and vikas will win. He also praised people's efforts who are venturing out to cast their votes amid the pandemic.

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha on Tuesday said that parties who have always followed the principles of nationalism and vikas (development) will emerge victorious. Sinha said that in the second phase of Bihar elections, there are high hopes and expectations that parties who have nationalism and Vikas as their guiding principles will win.

He said, "People have proved that..democracy cannot lose even in adverse circumstances. When the world was not familiar with the political system, it was Bihar's Vaishali and Lichchavi that were republican states.

Praising people's efforts to vote amid pandemic, the BJP leader said, "Despite the elections being held under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic, people are coming out in large numbers with great zeal and happiness to cast their votes. People are participating in the largest festival of democracy. This clearly indicates that democracy is not just a constitutional value but also an integral part of people's life values and vision."

READ: Bihar polls: First-time voter, grandmother cast votes in Patna

The 94 constituencies which are voting in 17 districts are West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Nalanda and Patna. The fate of 1,463 candidates will be decided by 2.85 crore voters.

This phase is also very crucial for Chirag Paswan- led Lok Janshakti Party which has fielded 52 candidates. Their performance in this phase will indicate if the issues raised by Paswan during his campaign -- corruption charges against Nitish Kumar, education degrees getting delayed, lack of jobs, and migration for livelihood -- found resonance among the people.

The third and final round of voting will take place on November 7 and the counting of votes on November 10.

With PTI inputs