TheNewshourDebate

The marathon 9-phased 16th Lok Sabha elections have ended, giving a decisive mandate to the BJP led NDA. While, the win has catapulted Narendra Modi to the highest office, it has also crushed political parties in many states, and the jitters are still being felt in Bihar. The 2014 Lok Sabha poll brought a windfall for NDA which won 31 out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while routing the JD(U) and RJD. The total tally of BJP and its allies was only one short of the 2009 figure when it contested under the leadership of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in the state. Riding on the Modi wave, BJP candidates romped home in 22 seats. BJP had won only 5 seats in 2004 and 12 in 2009. The BJP vote percentage which was 14.57 per cent in 2004 and 13.93 per cent in 2009 poll increased to a huge 35 per cent this time. Actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha, who was shown black flags during campaign, won with an impressive margin of 2.65 lakh against his Congress rival. Former union home secretary R K Singh fielded by BJP won comfortably won from Arrah. BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy emerged as the giant killer defeating RJD's Rabri Devi at Saran considered the pocket-borough of Lalu Prasad. The general elections also saw the success of BJP allies LJP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Upendra Kushwaha. Besides, winning his own Hajipur seat, Ramvilas Paswan who had a pact with BJP in seven seats won six of them. Its only losing candidate Satyanand Sharma at Nalanda also put up an impressive show in Nitish Kumar's home constituency of Nalanda but was humbled by Kaushlendra Kumar only by 9,627 votes. RLSP of Upendra Kushwaha, friend-turned foe of Nitish Kumar, won all the three seats it contested. Once a close aide of Lalu Prasad, Ramkripal Yadav who defected to BJP after denial of a ticket and defeated Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti in Patliputra by over 40,000 votes. BJP's Muslim poster boy Shahnawaz Hussain lost to Shailesh Kumar alias Bulo Mandal in the Bhagalpur seat by 9,485 votes. Three time MP Uday Singh also lost at Purnea at the hands of JD(U) Santosh Kushwaha.

Drubbed in the LS elections and facing dissidence, Nitish Kumar on Sat (May 17) resigned, but did not seek dissolution of the Assembly, injecting a dramatic turn in state politics. Bihar Governor D Y Patil has accepted the resignation of Nitish and his cabinet, according to a Raj Bhavan communique. "The Lok Sabha election results have not been good for JD(U). The people's mandate has to be respected. So, I have tendered the resignation of my council of ministers. I had led the campaign. So, it is my duty to take moral responsibility and I must take," he said. So when Sharad Yadav makes a pitch to the secular forces to align, after his failure in the elections while sending feelers to RJD Chief Lalu Prasad and with Nitish suggesting at readiness to sink differences with Lalu Prasad for forming secular alliance govt in Bihar, is he signalling a new era, where all parties keep their bitter rivalries aside, and join forces to take on Modi?

In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists -- Jayanthi Natarajan, Sr. Leader, Congress; Salman Soz, National Spokesperson, Congress; GVL Narasimha Rao, Member, Electoral Reforms Committee, BJP; Sheshadri Chari, Member, National Exec & Convenor, Foreign Affairs Cell, BJP; Lord Meghnad Desai, Economist & Political Analyst; Arati Jerath, Sr. Journalist; Ajay Bose, Sr. Journalist; Gaurav Bhatia, National President, Legal Wing, SP; Pavan Verma, Cultural Advisor to CM, Bihar; Rahul Narvekar, Leader, NCP; Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Professor, Centre for Comparative Politics & Political Theory, JNU -- discuss whether a new era is about to dawn where all political parties will join forces to take on Modi and is such a realignment possible. Show less