A clip of Mukesh Sahani jumping into a pond, along with Rahul Gandhi, during campaigning in Bihar's Begusarai was a big hit on the internet. In internet speak, it was viral.
However, on the day of the Bihar election result, that virality did not transform into votes, and the Mahagathbandhan alliance - whose Deputy Chief Minister face was Sahani, fondly called the Son of Mallah - was far behind the National Democratic Alliance, which ended up with 202 seats.
Here's the break up of NDA seats: BJP 89, Nitish Kumar's JDU 85, Chirag Paswan's party 19, Jitan Ram Manji won 5 seats and Upendra Kushwaha 2.
Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party failed to win any seats.
"This is obvious to everyone: the NDA is going to form a government with a 200-plus majority, and for this, I congratulate Modiji and Nitishji, and respect the mandate. We will investigate how this happened. It would be inappropriate to comment on this today," Sahani told NDTV's Editor-in Chief Rahul Kanwal when asked about that viral clip.
Sahani, a former Bollywood set designer-turned-politician, pointed to the Rs 10,000 being distributed to women while the polls were on as a big factor in the results and one of the decisive factors behind the INDIA bloc's collapse.
He was referring to the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana (MMRY), announced by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on August 29, which promises Rs 2.10 lakh in instalments to women entrepreneurs to start small enterprises such as stores, dairies, tailoring units, beauty parlours or art-and-craft ventures.
"If I am looking at one thing, then in Modiji's language, forming the government by talking about revdis, then that is what we are getting to see. Transferring Rs 10,000 to the account of the mother and sister during the elections and telling them that rest will be given after the government is formed," he said.
"So seeing this, because there is poverty, helplessness and problems in Bihar, people made up their minds and the women have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the NDA," Sahani added.
The Nishad (fisherman) vote, which he sought to consolidate, appears to have swung decisively toward the NDA, attracted by targeted welfare assurances.
