Patna, Nov 6 (UNI) A record 64.66 percent polling was registered on Thursday during first phase of Bihar assembly elections, which is highest ever since the first Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state.
According to Election Commission, 64.66 percent of nearly 3.75 crore electorate, exercised their franchise in 121 constituencies where polling was held for the first phase of Bihar assembly elections. It was highest ever since first Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Bihar since 1951, as per data released by the Election Commission.
In Lok Sabha elections from 1951 to 2024, highest polling of 64.6 percent was recorded in 1998. Similarly, in Assembly Elections since 1951, highest polling of 62.57 percent was recorded in the year 2000. So, 64.66 percent polling in first phase of Bihar assembly elections, surpassed all records of highest polling, Commission pointed out.
Amid tight security arrangements, in the first of the two-phased Bihar assembly elections on 121 seats, sealing the fate of 1,314 candidates, including Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha besides 15 Ministers and CM face of the Grand Alliance Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.
Besides the two Deputy CMs, the electorate sealed the fate of several heavyweights from the ruling NDA in EVMs, including Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Shravan Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Madan Sahni, Nitin Naveen, Maheshwar Hazari, Sunil Kumar, Ratnesh Sada, Kedar Prasad Gupta, Surendra Mehta, Sanjay Saraogi, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Jivesh Kumar, Raju Singh, and Krishna Kumar Mantoo.
From the Grand Alliance, key figures include Tejashwi Yadav, Awadh Bihari Choudhary, Ramanand Yadav, Veena Devi, Lalit Kumar Yadav, Vijendra Choudhary, Renu Kushwaha, Khesari Lal Yadav, Alok Mehta, Bhai Virendra, and Anirudh Yadav.
Other prominent independent or smaller party candidates whose fates have been sealed in EVMs include Tej Pratap Yadav, Shivdeep Lande, Anand Mishra, V.K. Ravi, Jayprakash Singh, Pushpam Priya Choudhary, and R.K. Mishra.
In the first phase , JD(U) has fielded candidates in 57 seats, BJP 48, LJP (Ram Vilas) 13, and RLM two. RJD is contesting on 71 seats, Congress 24, CPI(ML) 14, VIP six, CPI five, and CPI(M) three.
The Jan Suraj Party, led by Prashant Kishor, has fielded 118 candidates in this phase.
In the election spanning 121 constituencies across 18 districts, the main contest remained between the ruling NDA and the opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), with the Jan Suraaj Party expected to play the role of potential spoiler in key constituencies.
Though polling was largely peaceful, violence erupted in Lakhisarai after a cavalcade led by Dy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha was allegedly attacked with stones, slippers and cow dung. Sinha, the sitting MLA from Lakhisarai, claimed the attack occured when he attempted to visit Khoriari village, and that stones were pelted at his convoy with “murdabad” slogans raised by RJD supporters.
The Election Commission has sought a report on the incident. Sinha alleged the attackers were RJD supporters who prevented his team from visiting booths in Khoriari.
“These are the goons of RJD. The NDA is coming to power, and that’s why bulldozers will roll over their arrogance. They did not allow my polling agent to vote,” he said.
Among those to cast their votes today were RJD leader and INDIA bloc Chief Minister candidate Tejashwi Yadav, who voted in Patna alongwith his family, including RJD supremo Lalu Prasad.
A total of 3,75,13,302 voters including 1.98 crore men, 1.76 crore women, and 758 third-gender voters were eligible to cast their votes at 45,341 polling stations. There were 5.24 lakh voters aged above 80 years and 6,736 centenarian voters.
In the 2020 Assembly elections, out of these 121 seats, RJD had won 42, BJP 32, JDU 23, Congress eight, CPI(ML) seven, VIP four, CPI and CPI(M) two each, and LJP one seat.
The second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections for 122 seats will be held on November 11. Counting of votes will be taken up on November 14.
Earlier, union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah urged the people of Bihar to come out in large numbers to vote, saying that every vote is crucial to building a “developed and self-reliant Bihar” and to prevent the “return of jungle raj.”
Campaigning for the second phase in Araria, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that an entire generation’s future was destroyed by the leaders of the RJD.
Referring to the 15-year rule of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, he said that from 1990 to 2005, Bihar’s development report card showed a big zero.
“During those 15 years of Jungle Raj, the RJD destroyed the future of an entire generation.”
On the contrary, Modi said, under the NDA government, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar worked hard to bring Bihar out of Jungle Raj. After the formation of the double-engine government in 2014, Bihar’s development gained new momentum.
Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh, campaigning in East Champaran, said that under the NDA government Bihar has accelerated its steps towards becoming a developed state.
“Prime Minister Modi has said that by 2047, we will make India a developed India, and until Bihar becomes a developed Bihar, the dream of a developed India cannot be realised either,” he said.
