The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (CPI-ML) has forecast that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will secure fewer than 100 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly after the first phase of polling showed strong voter turnout, according to party general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.
High turnout to low seats
Bhattacharya said the turnout above 65 % in the first phase was a clear sign of anti-incumbency among Bihar’s electorate. “High voter turnout … shows that there is an anti-incumbency factor among voters. They are voting against the government. The INDIA bloc will get 140-150 seats in the Bihar polls, and the NDA will be reduced to below 100,” he told reporters.
He warned that three types of alleged malpractice, the removal of eligible voters from rolls, blocking voters from casting ballots, and false voting, are all underway in the state, as per a PTI report.
Language, reserve rights and “Infiltration”
Bhattacharya also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using what he termed “underworld language”, highlighting words like “katta” (homemade gun) from the campaign trail. He accused the NDA of making large-scale promises but failing backward classes by “eating up” 65 % reservation rights. He praised the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s job promise and reserved quota pledge and said the NDA’s “ghuspaithiya” claim (infiltrators) was intended to spread fear, not address real issues.
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“I am shocked to hear the prime minister using ‘underworld' language, including words like ‘katta'. The Uttar Pradesh CM has been invoking the concept of bulldozers from stages of election rallies to spread fear among people," the Left leader was quoted as saying.
The CPI-ML’s forecast comes amid contrasting claims from the NDA leadership, which has confidently projected counts of 160 plus seats. The election battle in Bihar may well come down to turnout shocks, seat-share strategy and whether anti-incumbency sentiment translates into votes.
