Patna: The high-stakes Bihar Assembly election kicked off on November 6, with around 53.77% of the voters turning up till 3 pm in the first phase. The polling was, however, marred by an attack on Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha and allegations by the RJD that electricity was being cut off in "strong booths" of the Mahagathbandhan.
According to data released by the Election Commission of India, Begusarai had the highest turnout at 59.82%, while Patna recorded the lowest at 48.69%. Polling was underway in 121 of the state's 243 constituencies, setting up a fierce contest between the ruling NDA and a resurgent Mahagathbandhan.
The ruling NDA is seeking re-election, banking on the 20-year rule of Nitish Kumar in the state and the 11-year rule of the PM Modi government at the Centre. The opposition Mahagathbandhan is seeking votes on anti-incumbency, misgovernance, and job promises. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj and Asaduddin Owais's AIMIM are also in the fray.
(Graphic courtesy: Election Commission of India)
With women emerging as a decisive voting bloc, both sides have made tall promises. While NDA has wooed with a Rs 10,000 cash transfer scheme, the opposition has countered with Tejashwi Yadav's promise of Rs 30,000 under 'Mai Bahin Maan Yojana'.
The elections are being held under the shadow of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which saw around 60 lakh voter deletions. The opposition has alleged that the exercise was an attempt to disenfranchise lakhs of people from marginalised communities.
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‘Jungle raj destroyed Bihar’: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the “Jungle Raj” era, blaming past leaders for 15 years of stalled development in the state. Speaking at an election rally in Araria, Modi highlighted that during the RJD’s rule, Bihar saw no infrastructure development whatsoever. He claimed that the leaders during the Jungle Raj, a period marked by utter lawlessness in Bihar, called themselves 'mai-baap', but that is not the case with the NDA. “From 1990 to 2005, for 15 years, the government of 'Jungle Raj' completely ruined Bihar. In the name of running the government, you were only looted. You must remember one figure in those 15 years of Jungle Raj, how many expressways were built in Bihar? Zero," the PM said. |
