E-Paper
Heavyweights in fray in final phase of Bihar polls
Several heavyweights, including JD(U)’s Narendra Narayan Yadav from Alamnagar constituency and Bijendra Prasad Yadav from Supaul, are among the 1,204 in the fray in this round. Both are ministers in the Nitish Kumar government.
People in 78 constituencies across 15 districts will exercise their franchise in the final round of Bihar’s three-phase polling on Saturday, bringing down the curtain on the voting process in India’s first state election in the midst of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
Several heavyweights, including JD(U)’s Narendra Narayan Yadav from Alamnagar constituency and Bijendra Prasad Yadav from Supaul, are among the 1,204 in the fray in this round. Both are ministers in the Nitish Kumar government.
Veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav’s daughter Subhashini Bundela alias Subhashini Sharad Yadav, a Congress candidate, is pitted against JD(U) MLA Niranjan Kumar Mehta from Bihariganj constituency in Madhepura district. Nikhil Mandal, grandson of BP Mandal, who chaired the Mandal Commission and also served as a former chief minister, is contesting the Madhepura seat on a JD(U) ticket.
Click here to read the full coverage of Bihar Assembly 2020 elections
The total number of registered voters in the third phase is 23,554,071.
Five years ago, the opposition grand alliance won 54 of the 78 seats up for grabs on November 7, but the political equations have changed since.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), which won 24 of these 78 seats as part of the opposition coalition, is now with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which bagged 19 seats in 2015.
Two other constituents of the opposition bloc, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, won 20 and 10 seats, respectively. Smaller regional parties won the five other seats.
Not just the opposition camp, changes have happened in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) too.
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which was part of the NDA in 2015, has decided to go it alone and launched a tirade against CM Kumar’s leadership.
Another erstwhile BJP ally, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), has teamed up with Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav’s Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) to form the Grand Secular Democratic Front.
Also read: On Nitish Kumar’s ‘last election’ remark, JD(U) leaders say retirement not on his mind
Twenty-four of the seats in the third phase are in Purnia, Katihar, Araria and Kishanganj, which form the Seemanchal belt, which has a substantial Muslim population. Migration and lack of jobs are the major issues here.
Thirteen of the phase three seats are in the Kosi region, comprising Supaul, Saharsa and Madhepura districts. Floods, a recurrent problem almost every year; and migration are the major issues confronting the voters.
Champaran will witness an electoral contest in 12 of the 78 seats in the third phase, while 21 seats in Mithilanchal will go to polls.
The remaining eight seats are in Muzaffarpur (six) and Vaishali (two).
In all, the JD(U) has fielded 24 candidates, BJP 19, RJD 20 and Congress 10, while other smaller regional parties have five candidates.
Experts believe that the third phase will be the deciding factor in the state. “It has been a neck and neck fight in the first two phases. The third phase will decide who forms the next government,” said DM Diwakar, former director of the AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies and a political analyst.
“With much at stake for big political leaders in this phase, they are leaving no stone unturned. A perfect example is chief minister Nitish Kumar playing the emotional card by saying that this will be his last elections,” he added.
Diwakar said this phase was also important for new upcoming parties in Bihar like Owaisi’s AIMIM and Pappu Yadav’s JAP. “This phase will also decide whether they remain “vote katwas” (spoilsport for bigger parties),” he added.
Also read | Bihar Assembly Election 2020: Will exit polls hit the mark this time?
The first two phases were held on October 28 and November 3, with a voter turnout of 55.68% and 55.70%, respectively. Poll results for the 243-member assembly will be declared on November 10.
Of the 15 districts going to polls on Saturday, five --- namely Muzaffarpur (9,938 infections and 42 deaths as of Thursday), Purnia (8,278 cases and 15 deaths), East Champaran (7,756 cases and 43 deaths), Madhubani (7,018 cases and 23 deaths), and Katihar (6,588 cases and 11 deaths) --- are among the 10 most-affected districts in the state.
The infection count in Muzaffarpur is second only to that in Patna (36,866 cases and 272 deaths).
Sanitisers, gloves, face shield, PPE kits have been given to polling officials. “We have taken all safety measures and necessary steps to ensure safe, free and fair polls,” said Baijunath Singh, deputy chief election officer, Bihar.
.
