Elections were held today in 94 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats.
New Delhi:
The second phase of assembly elections in Bihar, held amid the looming coronavirus threat, saw 53.51 per cent people voting, down from the 56.9 per cent in 2015. Ninety-four seats were up for election, a chunk of them were BJP’s strongholds in north Bihar. The key candidates included Tejashwi Yadav – the Chief Ministerial candidate of the opposition alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Left and the Congress — and his brother Tej Pratap Yadav. By-elections for 54 assembly seats across 10 states were also held today. Hectic campaigning for the third and last phase continued alongside the election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing two rallies in Forbesganj and Saharsa.
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The Election Commission said the figures were upto 5 pm and will go up. The final Phase 1 figures were also a shade lower than 2015 — standing at 52.24 per cent compared to the earlier 54.9 per cent.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi targetted the Congress today for not having even 100 members in total in both houses of parliament. “The Congress never walked the talk, that is why its total strength has shrunk,” he added while addressing a rally in Forbesganj.
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In Bihar’s Madhubani, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar came under ‘onion attack’ while talking about providing jobs. But the missiles missed the target as his security persons formed a cordon around him. The perpetrator was caught, but Mr Kumar ordered the securitymen to “let him go” and pay him no attention.
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Vaishali district’s Raghopur, where RJD leader and chief ministerial candidate of the Grand Alliance Tejashwi Yadav is contesting, recorded 54 per cent polling, showed data from the election body.
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Hasanpur, from where Lalu Prasad Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is in the fray, recorded an estimated 54.25 per cent votes till 5 pm.
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After casting his vote, Tejashwi Yadav said people are “angry” with the government and they will vote for education, health, irrigation and law and order. Bihar needed change, added his mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi.
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Senior Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha — whose son Luv Sinha is contesting the election from Patna’s Bankipur — said critics of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will be “khamoshed” (silenced) when results for Bihar assembly polls are declared on November 10. The Grand Alliance is headed for a “landslide” victory, said the actor-turned politician.
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Two separate incidents of firing were reported in the Morena Sumawali seat in Madhya Pradesh, affecting the polling process briefly. Four people have been arrested. Madhya Pradesh had teh highest number of seats for by-polls, 28.
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Besides, eight Assembly seats were up for polls in Gujarat, seven in Uttar Pradesh, two each in Odisha, Nagaland, Karnataka, and Jharkhand; and one seat each in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Haryana.
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The last phase of elections will be held on November 7, after which the votes will be counted on November 10.
