Bihar votes in 1st Covid-era polls
As many as 52.24% of voters exercised their franchise in the first phase of polling
PATNA: India held its first mass electoral exercise in the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) era in Bihar on Wednesday, with millions of people lining up outside polling booths to vote in the first of the three-phased elections to the state assembly.
As many as 52.24% of voters exercised their franchise till 5pm at 31,371 polling stations in the first phase where 1,066 candidates -- 952 men and 114 women – were are in the fray for 71 assembly constituencies of
Bihar, amid tight security and Covid-19 guidelines in place.
These guidelines included lowering the maximum number of voters for a polling booth from 1,600 to 1,000, staggering the polling hours and extending postal ballot facility to those above 80. Besides, sanitisation of electronic voting machines, wearing of masks and other protective gear by polling personnel and the availability of thermal scanner, hand sanitiser, soap and water were also made available at polling stations.
In the 2015 assembly polls, the turnout in the first phase one was 54.94%, chief election commissioner Sunil Arora said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the corresponding turnout was 53.54%, he said.
As per the provisional voter turnout data updated by the
Election Commission at 5 pm, the maximum 55.95% turnout has been recorded in Kaimur, followed by 55.44% per cent in Lakhisarai and Buxar (53.84%).
As the electoral exercise began at 7am, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to follow all Covid-19 norms while going to cast their votes. “I urge all voters to ensure their participation in this festival of democracy taking all COVID-19 related precautions,” he tweeted.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged people to cast their votes in favour of the Grand Alliance in between the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for “justice, employment and farmers-workers”.
Most of the state’s Naxal-hit areas went to polls in the first phase, with the Election Commission (EC) declaring 33 constituencies as sensitive or hypersensitive.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) contested in 35 of the 71 seats, followed by its ally Bharatiya Janata Party in 29. Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) fielded its candidates in 42 seats, the most by any party, and its coalition partner Congress was in the fray for 20 assembly segments.
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), headed by Chirag Paswan after the death of his father Ram Vilas Paswan, was in the fray for 41 seats, including all the 35 contested by the JD(U). Chirag Paswan recently pulled his party out of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state to “dislodge” chief minister Kumar from power, even as he said he continues to sup
port Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both sons of veteran politi-cian and Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav were in the fray in the first phase of polling on Wednesday.
While Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Tejashwi Yadav contested from the Raghopur assembly constituency in Vaishali, his older brother and former minister Tej Pratap Yadav contested from the Hasanpur assembly seat in Samastipur district. His
The second and third phase for the 243-member Bihar assembly will be held on November 3 and 7. The results will be declared on November 10.