The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief told an all-party meeting on the demand for special category status that he did everything possible in the hope that he will do justice to the state following its 'unjust' bifurcation.
"When I met then US President Bill Clinton, I addressed him as Mr. Clinton, not as 'sir'. Modi is my junior in politics. But when he came (to power), I addressed him as sir 10 times. I did this for the sake of the state and to satisfy his ego in the hope that he will do justice to the state," Naidu said.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister said even the poll alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 was for the sake of the state. "We would have got 10 seats more without the alliance with BJP."
Naidu, whose party pulled out of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre for its refusal to accord special status last year, said he took the step after reaching to a conclusion that Modi will not do justice.
Recalling that he was the first to demand resignation of Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in the wake of the riots in that state, Naidu said this could be a reason for Modi's bias against Andhra Pradesh.
He alleged Modi government was targeting all the political rivals with cases by CBI, ED and other agencies. He claimed that a case against Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was withdrawn after he 'compromised' with Modi.
YSR Congress, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jana Sena and the Left parties did not attend the all-party meeting called by Naidu to mount pressure on the Centre for according special category status to the state.
Naidu assured the meeting that the government would withdraw the cases booked against those fighting for special status. A decision in this regard would be taken at the cabinet meeting to be held on Thursday.
Leaders of Pratyeka Hoda Sadana Samithi, which is fighting for special category status, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), other smaller parties and employees' groups attended the meeting.
This was the third all-party meeting called by Naidu and like in the past, major opposition parties stayed away alleging he is not sincere in achieving the goal.
Modi said the Centre's action against corruption has created a fear in the minds of people all across the country. All those who used to make money from government contracts are facing the music now, which is they were all coming together to remove "this watchman", he said a public rally in a reference to himself.
Modi arrived in the Tamil Nadu temple town earlier in the day and laid the foundation stone for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and also inaugurated super speciality blocks at Rajaji, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli Medical Colleges.
He also urged the youth of Tamil Nadu not to get swayed by the negative sentiments created by vested interests.
The Prime Minister said the Centre was taking steps to eradicate corruption and any person who looted money in defence deals, government schemes and others will be brought to book whether they are within or outside India.
He also said that Tamil Nadu is one of the leading states in the Central government's "Make in India" initiative.
According to Modi, the Centre aims to make Tamil Nadu a preferred hub for aerospace and defence sectors.
He said the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor would generate jobs in state.
He also mentioned the Tuticorin Port, referring to it is an engine of economic growth.
Given its strategic location, the Port can become a major trans-shipment port of South India, Modi remarked.
According to the Prime Minister, the Train-18 developed by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has attracted the attention of several countries and when its production increases, more jobs will be created.
Stressing that the BJP-led Central government is committed to providing jobs and education for all sections of the society, the reservation of 10 per cent based on economic criteria has been brought in.
He also said the government is focused on providing ease of living and referred to the setting up of Passport Seva Kendras in Post Offices.
Modi said work on 10-smart city projects in Tamil Nadu is on.
He said that under the Swachh Bharat mission, the Centre has built over nine crore toilets in the country out of which 47 lakh are in Tamil Nadu.
"This mahagatbandhan is a unique bond. It is the bond of 'namdars', bond of nepotism, bond of corruption and scandals, bond of negativity and bond of instability and inequality," Modi said.
The Prime Minister's remarks came during his interaction with booth level BJP workers from the Lok Sabha constituencies of Hatkanangale, Kolhapur, Madha and Satara in Maharashtra and South Goa.
"They have an alliance of parties while we have an alliance with 130 crore Indians. We are dedicated to the dreams and aspiration of people while they are trying to promote their their sons and daughters. They have the money power and we have the people's power... They are busy in saving their families while we are working to save the nation," he said.
Modi slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying the party which was involved in largescale violence even in panchayat polls in the state was now talking about saving democracy in the country.
"If someone files nomination against them even in panchayat polls, they indulged in violence and murder. Today they are talking about saving democracy. It is ironical that those parties that do not have an iota of democracy within themselves are now forming alliances to tell people about the state of democracy in the country," Modi said without taking any name.
He also took a jibe at former Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav for his Bofors "faux pas" at the opposition rally.
"In Kolkata, the opposition parties were talking about saving the country and democracy. A leader reminded us about the Bofors scandal from the same platform," he said.
While attacking the Modi government on the Rafale jet deal, Yadav erred by taking the name of Bofors in place of Rafale.
Modi's attack come a day after 23 political parties, including the Congress, came together at a mega rally organised by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and vowed to oust the Prime Minister in the coming general elections.
"The 2019 elections in India will be India's second freedom struggle. The BJP at the centre is sowing the seeds of hatred and divisionism among people. We have to stop that any cost. That's why I call it India's second freedom struggle," Stalin said at Mamata Banerjee's 'United India Rally' here.
"It is heartening to see a number of parties aligned here on the stage. Our only goal is to send the BJP government packing and save the country," he said addressing the Brigade Parade Ground rally that saw tens of thousands of people attending to hear the Opposition.
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Tamil leader, who delivered his speech at the rally through a Bengali interpreter, said Modi was badmouthing and attacking the opposition leaders in his speeches as he is scared of the alliance.
"Modi used to say that he does not have enemies or opposition parties. But nowadays he is starting all his speeches by criticising and badmouthing the opposition. He is scared to see the opposition forces unite. He has understood that his defeat is confirmed," Stalin claimed.
"Before coming to power, he (Modi) used to say that he would bring development to the people of the nation but after becoming the Prime Minister he is only bringing despair and dismay to people," he said.
Stalin said the country's age-old concept of unity in diversity was under threat from the Modi government which was trying to foist one religion, one culture idea which has to be resisted at all cost.
He said the unity of the non-BJP parties displayed in Kolkata meant that "Modi's defeat and our victory is certain".
Stalin also accused the Modi government of working for and at the behest of the corporates and turning the central government into a private limited company.
Hailing Banerjee for bringing the Opposition on one stage ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Stalin said Bengalis and Tamils have played significant roles in India's freedom struggle and would continue to do so in future.
Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha, who severed his ties with Bharatiya Janata Party in 2018, said at his age he wanted nothing in life but the ouster of the Modi government for which the entire opposition should unite.
He suggested all the opposition parties should field one common candidate against the BJP across the country so that the NDA government could be "thrown out lock, stock and barrel".
Another former Union Minister Arun Shourie attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his demonetisation decision that set the economy backwards and inflicted misery on common man and for messing up with a simple idea like the Goods and Services Tax, making it cumbersome.
Naidu, who was on one-day visit to the national capital, met Pawar, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and discussed the issue in the wake of a rally in Kolkata being organised by Trinamool Congress on January 19, where Opposition parties will put up a show of unity.
"When we reach Kolkata, there could be leaders from some other parties. We have neither met them nor discussed it (Mahagathbandhan) with them. But we are going to suggest them that after the rally, let sit together and discuss future course of action," Pawar told reporters.
"If there is a unanimity, then let us start exhibiting the programme which we finalise after the meeting."
Echoing the view, Naidu said if the unanimity occurs, meetings would be held subsequently in Delhi to decide the future course of action.
In order "to save the nation", all parties are required to join the Mahagathbandhan out of "democratic compulsion", he added.
Sources said Naidu discussed with Gandhi the strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming general elections.
Naidu said he supported the 10 per cent quota for economically weaker sections in general category, but the BJP-led Central government should have brought it earlier by discussing it with states.
"As far as Mahagathbandhan is concerned, we will take some time and think it over," he told reporters here.
Patnaik was in the national capital to participate in a farmers' protest held by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for its demand to fix Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy at Rs 2,930 per quintal from the current Rs 1,750.
Addressing the gathering of farmers, Patnaik came down heavily on the Modi government for failing to fulfil the promises made before the 2014 general elections.
"The Centre cannot run away from providing (adequate) MSP as it is its responsibility. It has not responded to our demands despite several reminders," he said.
At the protest march, many BJD leaders took a dig at the Modi government calling it "jumlebaazi ki sarkar' (government of fake promises).
The BJD has so far maintained equidistance from both the BJP and Congress.
Patnaik said his government has brought Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, which will provide financial, livelihood and cultivation support along with insurance support to small, marginal and landless farmers, thus covering 92 per cent of the total farmers in the state.
The Odisha government had spent about Rs 30,000 crore on agriculture in the past four and a half years and had earmarked Rs 10,000 crore for the KALIA scheme to spend in three years, he said.
"India is not going to experiment with a failed idea for the fifth time. The mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) is a momentary idea that collapses.
"A coalition of political rivals will take India backward. Voters will think why commit suicide with an alliance of this kind," he told India Today in an interview.
He said the proposed grand alliance is bound to be a failure as it lacks a central figure.
"There is no nucleus for the mahagathbandhan," he said.
Asked about whether Rahul Gandhi can emerge as the face of such an alliance, Jaitley said: "The tail of an alliance cannot be its nucleus."
He said that leaders of the alliance want the Congress to support them and not the other way round.
"In mahagathbandhan, who will use whom and who will trip over whom is not clear," the senior BJP leader said.
Describing the opposition's efforts as a "failed idea", he said the people of the country would not support a coalition.
"The alliance is essentially a collection of ambitious leaders who have no support base," he said.
A meeting of the opposition parties to strategise against the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019, is likely to take place once the five states' Assembly elections are over and before the winter session of Parliament commences.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party was earlier an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has met a spectrum of leaders, including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party's Sharad Pawar, DMK's M.K. Stalin, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, National Conference' Farooq Abdullah, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal-Secular supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati to forge a front against the BJP.
"Rahul Gandhi says 'Modi Hatao. Pakistan says 'Modi Hatao'. Now Pakistan also supports Rahul Gandh's baseless allegations against PM Modi. Is Congress forming an international mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) against PM Modi," Shah said in a tweet.
Shah's remarks came amid a political war with Rahul Gandhi terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "thief" and "corrupt" in the Rafale deal as the BJP hit back saying the Gandhi family is out on bail and is the "source of all corruption in the country".
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, earlier, accused Rahul Gandhi of playing into the hands of Pakistan.
Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala was quick to react on Shah's attack, saying pseudo-nationalism was BJP's old ploy.
"Amit Shahji, faced with charges of rampant corruption and crony capitalism, pseudo-nationalism is ur old ploy. Did you and PM form a Mahagathbandhan with Pak and ISI when- 1.Modiji went uninvited to Pak and Pathankot Attack happened; 2. You invited the rogue ISI to Pathankot and praised Pakistan," he tweeted.
The 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) will ensure the defeat of the RSS and the BJP, Mevani said, addressing the massive opposition rally at Brigade Parade Grounds here.
"The country is going through an unprecedented crisis with the exploitation of the poor, minorities and dalits in the four-and-half-year rule of the BJP," the independent MLA from Gujarat said.
He also expressed hope that when the 'Mahagathbandhan' forms government at the Centre, it will ensure the upholding of the Constitution, and the country will become a true socialist republic.
Leaders of all the opposition parties, except the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the CPI(M)-led Left Front, are taking part in the rally.
Addressing the party's national executive meet, Shah said the party would win in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with a mandate bigger than 2014. The BJP had won 282 seats out of 543 in the 2014 parliamentary election.
He said that Narendra Modi government has worked a lot for the development of the country. Today, India has surpassed France in terms of economy. The BJP has government in 19 states and ruling 75 per cent of the country.
"We should not be complacent and should work to ensure a bigger victory in 2019," he said.
Taking a dig at efforts by some opposition parties to stich together a grand alliance against the BJP, Shah said, "Mahagathbandhan is an eyewash, an illusion and is based on falsehood".
On the national front, the 'Mahagathbandhan' (MGB) between Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh could become a tough nut to crack for the NDA in the upcoming elections, the survey results revealed.
As per the survey, if the MGB materialises, then NDA led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be deprived of majority while on the other hand if BSP chooses to go solo, then the NDA could sweep UP clean and end up with a total tally beyond 300 seats.
The SP and BSP alliance could snatch 44 seats in Uttar Pradesh which will bring the NDA’s national tally below the majority mark of 272. As per the ‘Desh Ka Mood’ survey, if the Mahagahthbandhan materialises, NDA will pocket 261 seats followed by the UPA with 119 seats in the country while others will have a combined tally of 128 seats.
However, if BSP’s Mayawati backs out of the much hyped Mahagathbandhan, it will clear the roads for BJP to win 70 seats in Uttar Pradesh helping it to bag 300 seats in total.
The NDA is poised for a vote share of nearly 38 per cent followed by the UPA with 26 per cent, the survey revealed.
As per the CVoter survey, PM Modi’s popularity has slipped to 53.6 per cent from 54 per cent during the last publication of survey results. However, Modi still has been ranked the No.1 leader in the country.
AICC president Rahul Gandhi’s popularity has seen a marginal increase from 21 per cent to 22.7 per cent.
Senior journalist Rabi Das stated that “At the national stage there is still some weakness or vacuum as opposition's plans for a Mahagathbandhan has not materialized fully.”
According to the survey, in Odisha, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is likely to suffer a setback with only 6 seats as NDA is expected to win 12 seats and Congress could win 3 seats out of 21 Lok Sabha seats if the elections are held today.
Earlier, the ABP-CVoter survey had also projected that BJD will win 6 Lok Sabha seats while the NDA tally was pegged at 13 seats.
It is pertinent to mention here that the CVoter survey of January had projected that NDA could win 335 seats with a total vote share of 44 per cent.
BJP’s Lekhashree Samantsinghar on the other hand stated that “There is time for the upcoming elections and certainly BJP will achieve its Mission 120 plus seats in Odisha.”
Senior Congress leader Ganeswar Behera on the other hand termed the survey unrealistic.
The predictions have been made taking into account the recent political developments across the country, the survey noted.
Especially, various factors including the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s decision to back out of the NDA, Shiv Sena's announcement of going to polls in 2019 alone without its alliance partner BJP, the alliance between Congress and JDS in Karnataka and the success of SP and BSP in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls have been taken into account, the survey highlighted.
Top BJP leaders must have spent a sleepless night on Tuesday after Naveen, who loves nothing more than keeping his suitors guessing, told media persons in New Delhi that he would ‘need time’ to take a call on the Mahagathbandhan, the Congress-led grand alliance taking shape in the build up to the general election later this year. They must have wondered if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s kid glove treatment of the Naveen government in his last two visits to the state – to Khurda on December 23 and Baripada on January 5 – had gone waste after all. The party must have heaved a huge sigh of relief when the BJD supremo announced in Bhubaneswar the very next morning that the BJD would not be part of the Mahagathbandhan.
But the Congress, the other suitor, has no reason to be despondent after Naveen’s announcement in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday either. Its experience of dealing with the BJD supremo for a decade during the UPA years should convince it that it can bank on him to provide the same kind of tactical support at crucial junctures that he has provided the NDA in this Lok Sabha, if not join the Mahagathbandhan outright, should it be in a position to form the next government after the elections.
But what the two national parties don’t seem to realize is that in their desire to keep the BJD on their side at the national level, they are doing immense and lasting damage to themselves in Odisha. Jay Panda is spot on when he says that the BJP is committing the same mistake in Odisha that the Congress did for 10 years between 2004-14. The party’s steadily deteriorating performance since 2004, which hit rock bottom in the panchayat elections of February 2017, should have convinced itself that in wooing Naveen, it has only helped strengthen him further while ruining its own chances of a revival in the state. In this context, one may recollect that it was no less than former PCC President Jayadev Jena who had spilled the beans in public when he openly accused, in his very first address to party workers after taking over in 2013, Naveen Patnaik of having him removed as the PCC chief in his last stint. It only went to prove that talk of a cozy relationship between Naveen and the Congress high command was not idle speculation by the media after all.
As the BJP stormed to power riding the Modi wave in 2014, it appeared for a while that it would not follow in the footsteps of the Congress did cause a serious crisis of credibility for its state unit as the CBI went full blast against BJD leaders in the chit fund scam in the first few months of the new government. But for reasons that can only be speculated about, the investigation suddenly went cold after the initial flush of hyperactivity and has been meandering along ever since. In another sign that the BJP is not too keen to antagonize Naveen beyond a point, the Modi government has been sitting on the Justice MB Shah Commission report on the mega mining scam between 2000-09 and refusing to order a CBI probe into it as strongly recommended by the Commission, which could have ripped apart the veneer of probity that BJD leaders have weaved around their boss.
For a while after the windfall in the Zilla Parishad elections in which it won an incredible 297 seats, it appeared that the saffron party was shedding its diffidence and bracing for a real fight with Naveen. It was during this period that party chief Amit Shah announced with much fanfare its ‘Mission 120’. But like the CBI probe into the chit fund scam, it has lost steam to the point where party leaders, including Shah himself, have stopped talking about it altogether.
Meanwhile, Naveen must be laughing at the ease with which he has fooled around with the two national parties for close to 15 years, playing one against the other while making sure there is no real threat to his chair from either of them. And patting himself on the back for the incredible success of his ‘equi-distance’ jumla, his contribution the political lexicon in the country that actually means ‘equi-proximity’.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same)
This is the third phase of polling in the state and the country's sixth.
Giridih Lok Sabha constituency registered the maximum 32.24 per cent votes, followed by 30.8 per cent in Singhbhum (ST) seat, 29.33 per cent in Jamshedpur and 29.03 per cent in Dhanbad, an Election Commission release said here.
In Jamshedpur, policemen were seen helping the sick and the differently abled voters cast their votes.
A 106-year-old woman, Pupalata Pal, voted at a booth situated in Rajkiya Kanya Uchh Vidyala in Chaibasa under Singhbhum constitutency.
Pal has been voting in Chaibasa from the first general elections, an official release said.
Polling will be held till 4 pm.
Voters of Singhbhum and Jamshedpur constituencies experienced a cloudy day while weather in Dhanbad and Giridih is moderate, reports said.
Jharkhand Water Resources Minister and Ajsu party leader Chandraprakash Choudhary, three sitting BJP MPs---P N Singh from Dhanbad, B B Mahato from Jamshedpur and Laxman Gilua from Singhbhum constituencies, are among the 67 candidates, including ten women, in the fray.
Choudhary is facing challenge from JMM MLA Jagarnath Mahato in Giridih while BJPs P N Singh is facing Congress candidate Kirti Azad from Dhanbad.
Azad, who had won the Darbhanga seat in Bihar, has been nominated in Dhanbad by the Congress as per the 'Mahagathbandhan' seat sharing adjustment.
Mahato is taking on JMM MLA Champai Soren from Jamshedpur while former chief minister Madhu Kodas wife and Congress candidate, Gita Koda, is vying for the Singhbhum (ST) seat against Gilua, the BJPs state unit president.
The JMM and the Congress are part of the "Mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) in Jharkhand.
The first two phases for seven Lok Sabha constituencies had concluded on April 29 and May 6 while the fourth and last phase polling will be held on May 19.
He said in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh too, where his wife has been fielded by the SP-BSP combine, though the Congress is contesting separately, the BJP will be similarly swept away.
Mahagathbandhan un logon ke parkhachche udaa dega (grand alliance will blow them away), Sinha, who seeks to retain his Patna Sahib seat on a Congress ticket, said at a press conference here on the final day of campaign.
He is pitted against Union minister Ravishankar Prasad in Patna Sahib seat that will see voting on May 19.
Lambasting the BJP, which he quit last month ending nearly three decades of association, for claiming that Sinha had been unhappy over not getting a ministerial berth in the Narendra Modi government, the actor, who is fondly called Bihari Babu, quipped this is tantamount to chori oopar se seenazori (commit a wrongdoing and then brazen it out).
Let us, for a moment, assume that I had issues over not getting a ministerial berth. Now could the one man show and two man army (a term Sinha has been using to describe the BJP under Modi and Amit Shah) explain why it treated badly stalwarts like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, he asked.
The BJP should also explain why an intellectual giant like Arun Shourie, who was with the party, is now so bitterly opposed to it. And what led Yashwant Sinha, who was once such a powerful leader, to quit the party in disgust, Sinha, who was flanked by party colleague and former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, his twin sons- Luv and Kush- besides other leaders of the mahagathbandhan which includes RJD, RLSP, HAM and VIP, said.
Their problem was, I was speaking the truth. I was speaking about the huge inconvenience caused to the people and harm done to the economy through demonetization. I was speaking against the shoddy implementation of the GST, which has made our traders suffer. And I was asking the government to come clean on the Rafale deal, the second-term MP from Patna Sahib said.
At yesterdays roadshow held by Rahul Gandhi, where the turnout was historic and the enthusiasm verged on hysterical, somebody teased me with the question Chhenu aaya tha (did Chhenu come). I said I was not sure but Chowkidaar chor hai certainly reverberated through the air.
Chhenu aaya tha is a popular dialogue from the old movie Mere Apne wherein Sinha had played the role of the antagonist named Chhenu a street ruffian fond of delivering pungent one-liners.
Sinha showered praise on coalition partners for making the roadshow a success and lambasted the BJP for meting out ill- treatment to jailed RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who is serving sentences in fodder scam cases.
The slogan jail ka taala tootega, Lalu Yadav chhootega (the padlock on the jails gate will be prised open and Lalu will be set free) would soon become a reality, he hoped.
Speaking at the press conference, Sahay said the BJP once bragged it was going to get 400 plus. Now it has scaled down its bluster by 100 seats. Seriously speaking, we are confident of Congress emerging as the single largest party and we acknowledge that states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Orissa where we do not have an alliance with the dominant regional parties, will play a major contributory role in formation of the next government.
He ducked queries about the possibility of Rahul Gandhi becoming the Prime Minister saying we will discuss that at meetings of opposition parties scheduled in New Delhi on May 21 and then again after results are out on May 23.
We do not believe in the BJP style of authoritarian leadership. Sonia Gandhi had ample support for taking up the top post after the 2004 general elections, but she decided otherwise in national interest, the former Union minister remarked.
These comprise at least 78 seats where the gap in vote share is likely to be less than 3 per cent, according to an India Today-Axis My India exit poll. These provide the grey area and could well turn the tide for the NDA or the UPA.
The poll says there are 37 seats where the NDA has a lead -- 33 of these involve the BJP. On the other hand, there are 17 seats where the UPA has a lead -- 13 of these involve the Congress.
There are also 16 seats involving regional parties where the margin of victory is less than three per cent -- seven of these involve the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal mahagathbandhan in Uttar Pradesh, five involve the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, three involve the YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh and one involves the Telangana Rashtra Samiti in Telangana.
There are eight other seats where the vote share margin is extremely narrow, the poll says.
It is difficult to say which party could be the loser in these close contests. However, the BJP is the party to beat and exit polls have generally projected that the BJP would emerge as the single largest party in the elections. But, this might not mean a majority on its own as well in the Lok Sabha. In that scenario, slipping up on the seats where it is slightly ahead of its contenders could prove troublesome.
The BJP might not be a major contender in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana but it is in a straight fight with the SP-BSP-RLD mahagathbandhan in Uttar Pradesh and with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.
The opposition has toyed with the idea of consolidating the anti-BJP vote in the past. The Bihar mahagathbandhan for the assembly elections in the state in 2015 was a test of this, in which the combination proved successful against the BJP. The Kairana Lok Sabha by-election of May 2018 was significant because it was meant to be a test case for the opposition alliance against the BJP.
The subtext of the mahagathbandhan win in Kairana was that it was necessary for political parties to join hands to defeat the BJP. RLD's Tabassum Hasan defeated Mriganka Singh of the BJP not by a massive margin but by a modest 44,618 votes.
The thin vote margin holds the following messages: first, that the BJP might have the edge but might not be out of the woods going by the exit poll projections, and, second that not having a good alliance could be a case of missed opportunity for the opposition parties.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal failed to win any seat in Bihar, once its bastion, and Jharkhand. Despite the Modi wave in 2014, the RJD had won four seats from Bihar.
"Lalu Prasad's routine has changed in the last two to three days. He is having breakfast and dinner but not taking lunch," said Umesh Prasad, the doctor in-charge of the former leader's health at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) here.
According to doctors, Lalu Prasad, currently serving a 14-year sentence in Jharkhand in a multi-million-rupee fodder scam, is given insulin doses three times a day.
But since he was not taking his meals on time, the doctors were not being able to administer the doses as they did earlier.
Lalu Prasad has also been keeping quiet most of the time, according to doctors.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept Bihar, bagging 39 of the 40 seats, decimating the Mahagathbandhan parties: RJD, HAM, VIP, RLSP. The Congress won one seat.
This will be the first time the RJD will not have a single member in the Lok Sabha.
Casting of votes began at 7 am at all 33,782 polling stations where as many EVM sets and VVPAT machines have been installed and paramilitary forces deployed to maintain order, officials said.
Voting is simultaneously taking place for the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat in West Champaran district where a by-election has been necessitated by the death of the sitting JD(U) MP Baidyanath Mahto.
Of the total 2.35 voters in the 78 assembly segments, spread across 15 districts of north Bihar, 1.23 are men, 1.12 crore are women while 894 are in the third gender category, according to statistics provided by the Election Commission.
In addition, re-poll is being held at two polling stations of Hisua assembly segment in Nalanda district where votes were cast in the second phase on November 3, the Election commission said.
It said the re-poll has been necessitated by the EVMS getting damaged in a road accident.
Among the candidates in the fray, 37 belong to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), 35 to the BJP, while five are contesting on tickets of junior NDA ally Vikassheel Insaan Party and one from the Hindustani Awam Morcha.
The candidates of the JD(U)-BJP include the assembly Speaker and 12 members of the state cabinet.
The main opposition RJD is fighting 46 seats in the final phase, while its ally Congress is in the fray in 25. Ultra-Left outfit CPI(ML), which has joined the RJD-led Grand Alliance along with CPI and CPI(M), is contesting five seats in the final phase.
A notable Congress candidate in this phase is Subhashini Yadav (30), veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav's daughter who is making her debut from Bihariganj which falls under Madhepura Lok Sabha seat, represented by her father a number of times.
Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party is in the fray on 42 seats, including Govindganj, which it holds and where it is pitted against the BJP, which it claims to be supporting while being opposed to the JD(U).
The final phase of elections is also noteworthy because of the role the Owaisi factor might play.
Headed by fiery Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, the AIMIM had registered a stunning victory in Kishanganj last year, defeating the Congress candidate whose son's election to Lok Sabha had necessitated the by-poll.
The AIMIM is in the fray in more than a dozen seats, mostly in the Kosi-Seemanchal region which is densely populated and has a high percentage of Muslim residents.
The NDA hopes that the party's ability to cut into Muslim votes will weaken the RJD and help the JD(U)-BJP combine.
Voting for the first phase was held on October 28 and for the second phase on November 3. Results will be out on November 10.
(PTI)
After the meeting, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav said the leaders of the Mahagathbandhan are standing firmly with the farmers. He said the government is trying to pit farmers and jawans against one another.
Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, appealed to the people of Bihar to join him in the human chain. He said the way the farmers of Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh are joining the farmers' agitation, in the same way Bihar farmers should come forward.
He said the Opposition parties boycotting the President's address to a joint sitting of Parliament shows that the Central government wants to impose the three 'black laws' (referring to the three Central farm laws). He sarcastically asked what is the compulsion that the Central government is trying to impose the farm laws.
Tejashwi hit out at the Central government saying, "The farmer laws are not for the annadatas (farmers) but for 'fund donors'. There is a move to give the land of the farmers to the businessmen."
Yadav also flayed the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar and said the crops are being procured here at half the price. He said diesel prices are soaring due to which the farmers are incurring losses.
He questioned the silence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the issue of the farmers agitation and expressed confidence about the success of the 'human chain' to be formed on Saturday.