No ladoos in sight, BJP remains cautious despite Bihar's promising trends

By Pragya Kaushika
New Delhi [India], November 10 : With a hawk-eye on evolving tally and a bit skeptical about National Democratic Alliance performance in Bihar, Bharatiya Janata Party is treading cautiously before it starts celebrating a victory which can or cannot be for it to celebrate.
With no ladoos in sight, BJP leaders could be seen sharing jokes on whether sweets should be offered to those present at its headquarters or not. Constant inquiries about ladoos elicited mixed responses from the BJP leaders.
In previous assembly polls, the party had to face embarrassment as visuals of laddoos covered all television screens as the early trends saw BJP leading but eventually losing states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
This time, BJP did no such optics. "We have got ladoos but sweets will come out only after results are clearly announced," quips one of the leaders.
Even a sweet biscuit with an early morning cup of tea was taken with a pinch of sarcasm.
"No sweet, this biscuit is salty and sweet, just like the situation we are in," said a BJP leader while offering biscuits to another party spokesperson.
Even while the trends show NDA nearing the majority mark, leaders remained tight-lipped on the results Bihar will produce by the end of the day. However, smiles could be seen all around and spokespersons became confident as the result starts looking promising for the BJP.
Bihar has gone to polls in three phases for 243 assembly seats. A majority of exit polls showed Mahagathbandhan leading in the polls, forcing the BJP to adopt a "wait and celebrate policy".
However, BJP looks set to emerge as the single-largest party in Bihar polls as it is leading on 73 seats in the state, as per the Election Commission of India's initial trends.