"Wave in favour of INDIA bloc," says RJD's Misa Bharti as polling goes on in fifth phase

Patna (Bihar) [India], May 20 : Misa Bharti, Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate from the Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency, said on Monday that there is a wave in favour of the INDIA bloc during the current Lok Sabha elections.
"This time the wave in the country is in favour of the INDIA bloc. My best wishes to all the candidates of the INDIA bloc contesting in the fifth phase of the elections. I extend my congratulations in advance for your victory," Bharti said.
Bharti criticised the current government, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed to deliver on his promises over the past decade.
"For the past 10 years, the Prime Minister has not fulfilled any of the promises he made. This election should have been about the issues of the country, but from the Prime Minister to the NDA alliance members, they all keep talking about irrelevant things. This time, the public has decided that their farewell is certain," Bharti said.
In response to the BJP's slogan 'Is baar 400 paar' and guarantees, Bharti was sceptical. "For the past 10 years, Modi ji has given many guarantees. The public has seen that in 10 years, none of those guarantees have been fulfilled, so why should he be given another chance?" she questioned.
Misa Bharti is contesting from the Pataliputra constituency against BJP candidate Ram Kripal Yadav. The Pataliputra constituency in Bihar will go to the polls in the last phase on June 1.
In 2014, Ram Kripal revolted after Lalu Prasad decided to field his elder daughter Misa Bharti from the Patliputra seat as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) nominee and Yadav joined the BJP.
The Pataliputra seat comprises six assembly segments, including Danapur, Maner, Phulwari, Masaurhi, Paliganj and Bikram. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav's daughter Misha (Misa) Bharti lost the Pataliputra constituency to Ram Kripal Yadav in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Ram Kripal Yadav was Lalu Yadav's close aide before 2014.
The 40 seats in Bihar are undergoing polls in all seven phases. In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, voting in five constituencies-Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran, and Hajipur is underway.
The fifth phase of polling for Lok Sabha polls saw a voter turnout of 23.66 per cent till 11 am, the Election Commission (ECI) said on Monday. While Bihar recorded a 21.11 per cent voter turnout, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 21.37 per cent, Jharkhand 26.18 per cent, Ladakh 27.87 per cent, Maharashtra 15.93 per cent Odisha 21.07 per cent and West Bengal 32.70 per cent, the poll body said.
In 2019, BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state, failed to open its account.
Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, is contesting 26 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats, while Congress is contesting nine seats.
As part of the NDA, the BJP and JD (U) will contest for 17 and 16 seats, respectively. Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest five seats, and Jitan Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will contest one seat each.The counting of votes will be held on June 4.