Record-breaking win for BJP in Bihar

PATNA, Nov 15 (BBC): Supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are celebrating as his party-led alliance secured a record-breaking win in the northern state of Bihar.

The BJP achieved a landslide in the state, with Modi's alliance winning 202 of the 243 seats.

Modi said the result was not just a victory for his alliance "but for democracy itself".

The polls were held after a controversial revision of lists that the opposition alleged would exclude genuine voters and give BJP an edge - a charge both the party and Election Commission denied.

Polls were held on 6 and 11 November and the state registered a record turnout of 66.91% - the highest since Bihar's first elections in 1951, the commission said.

Several exit polls had predicted a victory for the BJP's alliance, which includes Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) as the prominent partner. The two parties currently rule the state together, with JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar as the outgoing chief minister.

Their main rival was a coalition of India's main opposition Congress party, the regional Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and several smaller parties.

The BJP and several of its top leaders hailed the result and thanked voters in Bihar. The opposition has not commented.

The Bihar polls serve as a precursor to several other key state state elections next year in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where the BJP is not in power and has struggled to make inroads.

Bihar, with more than 74 million voters, is India's poorest state, with millions migrating to other parts of India for jobs. It is also among the few states in India where Modi's party has not managed to form a government yet on its own.

One of the main reasons for the BJP-JD(U) sweep is being linked to the large female voter turnout.

Nearly half of the state's voters are women and Bihar - which has seen a steady increase in their numbers over the years - recorded its highest female voter turnout in history at 71.6% this year.

Both alliances had offered financial assistance schemes to woo women. Analysts say Kumar's welfare schemes appeared to have appealed to female voters.

The election was conducted after a controversial voter list revision carried out by India's Election Commission a few months ago. The commission released a list of 74.2 million voters in September, weeding out 4.7 million names.

The exercise - which is now taking place in 12 states and federally-administered territories across India - was sharply criticised by the opposition.

They accused the commission of dropping many voters, especially Muslims, to aid Modi's party. Both the BJP and the Election Commission have denied such allegations.