Hung Assembly: How Is A Government Formed If There Is No Clear Majority? Know If Bihar Is Heading To One

Most exit polls for the Bihar election 2020 predict that the results may lead to a hung assembly with no clear majority reached by any parties. Know how a government is formed in such situations.

Image. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi:  Most exit polls for the Bihar 2020 elections predict a massive setback for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) this year. While there are indications that the Tejaswi Yadav led Mahagahthbandhan may have an edge over the consecutive three-time CM, according to most post-poll surveys Bihar might see a hung assembly in the 243-member house. What is a hung assembly? In a parliamentary system, to form a government political parties have to get a clear majority in any state election, but in cases when no single political party or pre-poll alliance gets a majority it is called a hung assembly. In such situations, a coalition government may be formed in which parties might enter into alliances after the elections. The government may be formed with outside support of parties and independent MLAs. In case no government is formed then President’s Rule could be imposed by the state governor under Article 356 of the Constitution. Re-election could also take place. The most recent example of this is the Maharastra elections in 2019 when no clear majority was reached and  President’s Rule was imposed on the state. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had written to the President saying that it was not possible to constitute or form a stable government in the State. What Will Happen in Bihar? According to the post-poll tracker, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is predicted to win seats in the range between 104-128 in the 243-member assembly while the Mahagahtbandhan is tipped to win 108-131 seats. According to ABP-C Voter Survey, Janta Dal-United-led by Nitish is bagging 38-46 seats, while the party retains 67 seats currently. Meanwhile, his ally in state Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) may get around 66-74 seats bagging a massive rise as currently, the party has 53 seats in the current assembly. Going further, the ABP News-CVoter Exit Poll revealed that Grand Alliance comprising Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and other parties could get 108 to 131 seats. However, both NDA and Grand Alliance fail to touch the magic figure in the state.