Election results 2019: Counting begins for 40 seats in Bihar

SSB jawans stand guard to a strong room where EVMs are kept, in Patna.  

The exit polls had predicted landslide win for NDA in Bihar which was countered by mahagathbandhan leaders.

Counting for 40 seats in Bihar began amid tight security at 33 counting centres on Thursday morning.

All eyes in Bihar are focused on Begusarai, Patliputra, Patna Sahib, Arrah and Sasaram seats from where CPI candidate Kanhaiaya Kumar, Union Ministers and BJP candidates Ram Kripal Yadav, Ravi Shankar Prasad and R K Singh, Congress candidate Meira Kumar are contesting poll.

With three-tier security deployment of police personnel district administrations have made elaborate security arrangements at the counting centres.

Earlier, the opposition mahagathbandhan alliance partner Upendra Kushwaha had threatened that violence and bloodshed will happen “if attempts were made to loot of votes”.

Later on Wednesday an Independent candidate from Buxar Ramchandra Yadav held a press-meet with gun in his hand at his residence in Kaimur saying that he was waiting for “orders from leaders to save democracy”.

The BJP candidate from Patna Sahib Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday morning told journalists that “action must be taken against such leader who displayed gun in his hand”.

The Bihar Additional Director General of Police Kundan Krishnan too had said that if violence would happen on counting day the police would investigate role of Mr Kushwaha in view of his statement.

However, later Mr Kushwaha had made U-turn saying media had “misconstrued” his statement.

The exit polls had predicted landslide win for NDA in Bihar which was countered by mahagathbandhan leaders.

“We don’t approve such exit polls”, said opposition RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.