A day after most exit polls gave an edge to the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance in the Bihar Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal on Sunday asked its supporters to maintain discipline and warned against extreme reactions, irrespective of the results on Tuesday. The party made the appeal to its supporters in a tweet on its official handle.
“Whatever be the results on 10 November, it needs to be accepted with restraint, humility and civility,” the tweet said. “The use of firecrackers, celebratory firing or irreverent behaviour with the opponents or their supporters will not be tolerated.”
In another tweet, the party said that the workers “should keep public convenience and upliftment of people at the centre of their politics”.
The Janata Dal (United) and BJP contested the Assembly elections together, while the opposition Grand Alliance comprised the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and Left parties.
Rashtriya Janata Dal’s cautionary note may be seen in the context of the poor law and order situation in the state often attributed to former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure. The Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal(United) attacked the party on those lines throughout their poll campaign, as their leaders referred to the Opposition’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav as “jungle raj ka yuvraj” (heir to jungle raj).
On Saturday, most exit polls predicted a tight race between the ruling Nitish Kumar-led alliance and the Opposition, but gave a slight edge to Yadav. A couple of exit polls however, predicted a clear majority for the Opposition alliance.
The elections to the 243-member Bihar Assembly was held in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7.
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