55.22 percent of the people voted in the third phase of the assembly election in Bihar.
New Delhi:
The coronavirus threat could not affect the polls in the third and final phase of elections in Bihar state, with 55.22% of people showing up to vote – a nuance lower than the 56.66% in 2015. Two of the three exit polls so far have predicted an advantage for Rashtriya Janata Dal’s alliance of Tejashwi Yadav, Congress and left-wing parties. The election will be crucial for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term. Mr Kumar – who faces the challenge of Tejashwi Yadav and his rival-turned-ally Chirag Paswan – in a last-minute announcement yesterday, said it would be his “last election”. Tejashwi Yadav’s rallies saw massive crowds, with his pledge of 10 lakh jobs being a huge draw.
Here are the 10 main points of this great story:
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The opposition coalition led by Tejashwi Yadav will win 124 seats, just beyond a majority, and the ruling National Democratic Alliance will win 110, according to a set of opinion polls at the end of the three-phase polls in Bihar. Health Warning: Exit polls can often be wrong.
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“We are at a unique moment in history. We had apprehensions about how polls would be conducted during the pandemic. It is thanks to the confidence of voters,” the Election Commission said, making the announcement this evening. “We thank the voters of Bihar and other by-elections, especially the elderly, women and the disabled,” the officials added.
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“We made changes and reorganized the training, and in particular the infrastructure of the polling stations, the sanitation of the protocols for the polling stations of a lakh and it was a difficult task,” the Election Commission said. .
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The election comes after a long and bitter campaign, where the NDA was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although officially his face was Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
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The BJP quietly made the turn as ground-level feedback indicated the anti-leaver was strong against three-time Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The opposition alleged that the people’s anger was fueled by the way the chief minister handled the situation of migrants during the lockdown, local corruption and the ban.
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At a rally Thursday, Nitish Kumar said it would be his “last election”. “Today is the last day (of campaigning for the final phase of the election). The next day this election will end and it is my last election. Ant bhala to sab bhala (All’s well that ends well)” said Nitish Kumar. His aides subsequently clarified the statement as “the last electoral rally”.
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He was however interpreted differently by his rivals Tejashwi Yadav and his ally-turned-chief critic Chirag Paswan, who made biting comments. “I have been saying since the start of this campaign that he is tired. Today, before the last phase of the vote, he has accepted defeat,” Tejashwi Yadav tweeted. “Don’t elect someone who won’t come to you for blessings tomorrow,” Chirag Paswan warned voters.
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The RJD, once seen as an election winning machine in Bihar, is hoping for a comeback, excited by the response its chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, 31, has received in its more than two dozen rallies. The RJD is part of an alliance that includes its former ally, Congress, alongside left-wing parties.
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Halfway through the campaign, Chirag Paswan, whose lok Janshakti Party is an ally of the NDA, rebelled against Nitish Kumar’s leadership and said he would run solo. His rebellion was suspected of being backed by the BJP – the party’s non-action fueled speculation.
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The vote count for the three-phase election will take place on November 10. The majority in the 243-member assembly is 122. Votes will also be counted for the 56-seat by-elections in 11 states which were held alongside state polls in Bihar.
