BJP's poll debacle in Bihar a tribute to my father: Akhlaq's son

Bisada: The son of the man, who was lynched in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh over rumours of eating and storing beef, says the defeat of the BJP in the bitterly fought Bihar Assembly Elections is a tribute to his father.

The September 28 killing of Mohammad Akhlaq somehow played a crucial role in the outcome of the Bihar polls.

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Commenting on the verdict, Sartaj, a corporal in Indian Air Force and the hapless son of Mohammed Akhlaq, said that people had united against the forces of communalism. "There's no space for hate politics in our country. Today's result is a tribute to my father, and against hate and communalism. People should realise there is no gain in fighting in the name of religion. I appeal to all politicians not to divide the country for the sake of power," he was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

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The Grand Alliance of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress won a whopping 178 of the 243 seats, leaving the BJP -- which wanted to oust Nitish Kumar -- and its allies with just 58 seats in Bihar Assembly Election.

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The RJD and JD-U ended up winning 80 and 71 seats each and the Congress 27. The BJP was the winner in 53 constituencies, and three allies -- the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) -- could together bag only five seats (2, 1, 2 respectively).

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When asked how the Grand Alliance overcame the BJP, JD-U leader Nawal Sharma told news agency IANS: "Nitish's glittering face and Lalu's strong base got us the numbers. All the polarising (bids) of BJP - Dadri, Pakistan, cow, beef - have hit them hard."

(With Agency inputs)