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ELECTIONS '96

Exit Poll: Laloo's RJD has limited impact in Bihar

Laloo Prasad Yadav boasted that his recently set up Rashtriya Janata Dal would sweep all the 54 seats of Bihar. But if the Doordarshan Exit Poll is to be believed, then the RJD will win only 9 seats and 27 per cent of the votes. All are positive gains because the RJD did not exist in 1996 and its members were part of the Janata Dal.

The BJP juggernaut continues to roll on in the state. Allied with the Samata Party, led by the fiery George Fernandes, the combine is expected to win 36 seats in the state, a gain of 12 seats. It is likely to garner 40 per cent of the votes, again a positive 5 per cent.

At the receiving end of the BJP's march is the Janata Dal, which might lose a massive 23 seats and retain just two. In terms of percentage, its share is expected to come down by a huge 24 per cent to just 14 per cent.

The Congress, which had allied itself with the RJD and did not contest all the seats, is expected to win 3 seats, a solitary increase. However, its voting share will decline by six per cent to just seven per cent.

Other contestants, not expected to win any seats, see their vote share decline by one per cent to 13 per cent.

Elections '98

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