Nitish Kumar and BJP retain Bihar

Bihar,11/11: A brilliant performance by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) enabled the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to attain a simple majority in the Bihar assembly de a sharp fall in the tally of the Janata Dal (United) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, according to final results announced early Wednesday. The saffron party, which had contested 110 seats, won 72 and was leading in another two while the JD(U) which fought 115, won only 42 and was ahead in another. With four seats each won by junior allies HAM and VIP, the NDA is poised to have 125 seats in its kitty, three more than the number required for a simple majority. The opposition Mahagathbandhan fell way short of the magic mark. The total number of seats won by all its five constituents stood at 110. Nonetheless, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) emerged as the single largest party in the assembly bagging 75 seats.