A beaming Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav at the RJD office in Patna. They beam at each other, hug and will shortly begin their joint presser.

RJD chief Lalu Yadav begins by thanking the people of Bihar. He says the people have voted for the development politics of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. He says Nitish is the present and continuing CM of Bihar. He says people across castes voted for the Mahagathbandhan. "We will uproot the Modi government," promises Lalu, as a smiling Nitish looks on. "We brothers want to thank all of you. I congratulate Nitish-ji," Lalu says in a speech punctuated by admonishments to the crowd, which continues to cheer the two.


"Keeping Modi government in Delhi will break the country into pieces," says Lalu. "Nitish Kumar will run an efficient government. We will oust the Modi government," promises Lalu.   Thanking women voters, Lalu said the party would give women the Bihar of their dreams.


Nitish Kumar will hold a presser at 4 pm.


More women voted in the five-phase Bihar election than men, the Election Commission has said. The BJP assesses that higher voting, including by women, signifies change. .
 
Women voters outnumbering men has been a stand-out feature of this election, given that women are only 46 per cent of the voting population in Bihar, and have struggled for equal footing in the state's largely feudal set-up. Six per cent more women voted than the men.
 
In his 10 years in power, Nitish Kumar is seen to have built a steady base of women followers. This time, women were given 50 per cent reservation in Panchayats and local bodies.