Bihar CM Nitish Kumar after casting his vote. (PTI Photo)Bihar Election 2020 Highlights: Over 53 per cent of the total 2.85 crore electors in 94 constituencies of Bihar exercised their franchise till 5 pm in the second phase of voting on Tuesday, according to Election Commission data. The estimated overall turnout at 6 PM is 53.51 per cent (provisional), the poll panel data said. Prominent personalities including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi, Tejashwi Yadav, and LJP president Chirag Paswan cast their votes in their respective polling booths in the morning. Polling began at 7 am, but the time for its conclusion has been extended by one hour till 6 pm to facilitate COVID-19 patients and those with symptoms of the disease to exercise their franchise during the final hour. The process, however, concluded early in Maoist-hit areas.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Bihar’s Araria district on Tuesday where he said that the voter enthusiasm in Bihar amid the global pandemic demonstrates deep roots of democracy in India. Urging people to vote for the BJP-JD(U) government, he said that now “lawlessness and extortion are losing while development and rule of law are winning in Bihar.” The Prime Minister will hold another rally in Saharsa. On the other hand, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled to address two rallies today. (Click here to follow our full Bihar election coverage)
Meanwhile, Onions were flung towards Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by some protestors while he was addressing a public meeting in Madhubani for the third phase of the assembly elections.
A voter turnout of 55.69% was recorded in the first phase of Bihar assembly polls held on October 28, the Election Commission said in its provisional data. Polling was held 71 assembly constituencies amid tight security and COVID-19 guidelines in place.
The Bihar Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in three phases, starting October 28. Results will be declared on November 10.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addresses an election rally, at Bihpur in Bhagalpur district. (Twitter/RJDforIndia)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addresses a gathering during an election meeting, in Muzaffarpur district (PTI)
“Kuchh bhi muft nahin milta. Aur hoga, to har pradesh mein hoga, keval Bihar mein nahin (Nothing is free. And, if at all it happens, it will be free for all states, not just for Bihar),” says Madan Paswan, 37, dismissive of the BJP’s promise of free Covid vaccine to Bihar. Sitting on a pathway in Dehradun’s Ghanta Ghar area, his stove, tea bags and sugar bottle spread out in front of him, the Darbhanga resident continues, “During the lockdown, Nitish first did not let migrants return, and then sprayed them with sanitisers like animals.”
With no opportunities in his village, Paswan moved to Dehradun for work 20 years ago. His tea-stall, which he sets up at 6 every morning, is frequented by migrant labourers from Bihar, most of whom are employed as construction workers.
“I have told both my children in Darbhanga to vote for a party which is committed to providing jobs, so that they don’t have to sell tea like me,” says Paswan, whose village falls under Darbhanga (Rural) seat. Read more
After onions were hurled at CM Nitish Kumar at an election rally, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said the incident was entirely undesirable and against the spirit of democarcy. He said in a democracy, the way to register opposition to a leader was by excercising the right to vote.
The Congress party's Bihar handle has attacked the Nitish Kumar government, tweeting videos of people raising issues such as floods and alleged scams, with the hastag Bihar Won't Forget. Take a look
From mood on the ground to Tejashwi's popularity to the Chirag Paswan factor, what our reporters Santosh Singh and Dipankar Ghose have seen on the ground.
The ruling JD(U) on Tuesday submitte a memorandum to the Election Commission demanding registratio of an FIR and cancellation of nominations of Tejashwi Yada and his brother Tej Pratap Yadav for allegedly concealin information about some properties in their electio affidavits A JD(U) delegation led by state Information and Publi Relations Department (IPRD) minister Neeraj Kumar met Chie Electoral Officer (CEO), H R Srinivasa and submitte memorandum to him which was addressed to the Electio Commission of India Kumar said that the CEO assured them that he woul communicate the Commission about the information furnished b them in the memorandum for necessary action The JD(U) team also annexed documentary proofs in suppor of the charges against the two sons of Lalu Prasad, who ar contesting assembly election from Raghopur and Hasanpu constituency respectively.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged they have "looted" Bihar, and claimed that people have decided to vote them out of power. Addressing a poll rally here, the former Congress president criticised the NDA government over demonetisation, migrant crisis, GST, handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the three new farm laws. He said neither Modi nor Kumar did anything to help migrant labourers when they were walking thousands of kilometres to return homes during the coronavirus lockdown.
Critics of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will be "khamoshed" (silenced) when results for Bihar assembly polls are declared on November 10 as the 'Mahagathbandhan' is headed for a "landslide" win, senior Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha said on Tuesday in an interview with PTI. The actor-turned-politician also said personal attacks were being made against the grand alliance's chief ministerial candidate by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders as they were "totally rattled" by Yadav's well-thought and researched promise of providing 10 lakh jobs to the youth of Bihar.
Over 51 per cent of the total 2.85 crore electors in 94 constituencies of Bihar exercised their franchise till 5 pm in the second phase of voting on Tuesday, according to Election Commission data. The estimated overall turnout at 5 pm is 51.68 per cent (provisional), the poll panel data said. Prominent personalities including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi, Tejashwi Yadav, and LJP president Chirag Paswan cast their votes in their respective polling booths in the morning.
Onion were allegedly thrown during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's election rally in Madhubani's Harlakhi on Tuesday.
A voter turnout of 44.51 per cent was recorded till 3 pm in the second phase of Bihar Assembly elections.
In a tragic news, an SSB jawan was killed after he was run over by an unidentified vehicle while on his way to attend election duty in Bihar's East Champaran district, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place near Dumra Chowk in Kotwa police station area on Monday night when 34-year-old Sashastra Seema Bal jawan Shailesh Kumar Singh was going to a polling booth in Kalyanpur constituency in East Champaran district on his motorcycle, a police officer said. The jawan hailed from West Champaran district and was posted at the SSB's 65th battalion in Bettiah, Kotwa police station SHO Rajiv Kumar said. The body was handed over to his family members after the conduct of the post-mortem examination, he added. (PTI)
As second-phase of polling is underway in Bihar, the Congress is campaigning for Mahagathbandhan. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is currently addressing a rally in Kodha.
Rahul Gandhi assures setting up Food Processing plant to generate employment opportunities for the people Bihar.
Addresses a rally in Kodha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi mocked PM Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar over rising corona cases and migrant crisis in the state. He said: " When the people of Bihar were struggling, walking back home barefoot, the BJP-JDU government didn't do anything. Even today, there is no employment opportunities in the state. If CM Nitish and PM Modi would have fulfilled their opportunity of creating employement, the people of Bihar could have stayed in the state and worked."
A Sub Inspector of the Border Security Force (BSF) on duty at a polling booth in the Lalganj assembly seat died of heart attack Tuesday, police and hospital sources said. The security man felt acute pain in chest while he was on duty at booth number 181 following which he was taken to Hajipur sadar hospital, they said.
On reaching the hospital, the doctors declared him brought dead, the sources added. The 55-year-old deceased has been identified as K R Bhai, a resident of Vadodara in Gujarat. He was posted with the BSF in Gujarat and was deployed at a polling station in the Lalganj constituency in Vaishali district where voting is in progress Tuesday. (PTI)
Nearly 33 per cent of the total 2.85 crore electors exercised their franchise till 1 pm on Tuesday in 94 constutiencies of Bihar during the second phase of assembly elections. The highest poll percentage of 41.25 has been recorded in Muzaffarpur among the 17 districts, where the 94 seats are located, according to the Election Commission's Voter Turnout App, updated till 1 pm.
The lowest turnout so far has been reported from Darbhanga at 26.73 per cent, followed by Patna at 28 per cent. The estimated overall turnout at 1 pm is 32.82 per cent, the poll panel data said. Vaishali district's Raghopur, from where RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is contesting the elections in the second phase, has recorded 36.09 per cent votes in the first six hours, as per the EC data.
Villagers of Chulhai Bishunpur in Baruraj assembly constituency boycott elections alleging lack of development in the area. There are 729 voters registered here. Not a single vote has been cast, so far, says an electoral officer at booth no.178.
In Saharsa, PM Modi told the voters that the proponents of 'jungle raj' don't want you to chant 'Bharat mata ki jai' or 'Jai Shri Ram'. "There is a group of people that doesn't want you to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' or 'Jai Shri Ram.' All of them have now come together and asking for votes from the people of Bihar. There's a need to give a befitting answer to such people in Bihar elections."
Dismissing suggestions of anti-incumbency against the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Araria district on Tuesday, said that the NDA had spent the last decade meeting the people’s “needs” and is now focused on taking care of their “aspirations. “The last decade was spent in fulfilling avashyaktaaein (needs). The current one shall be devoted to meeting the aspirations (aakankshaaein),” he said.
Training his guns at the Congress, Modi said the party never walked the talk, that’s why its strength in the Parliament has shrunk to less than 100. He also saidthat the Congress always made false promises of poverty eradication, farm loan waiver and one rank-one pension for retired servicemen.
“This is the reason why the party is now left with less than 100 MPs in both Houses of Parliament combined. In states like UP and Bihar they have been relegated to the third, fourth or fifth position and are piggybacking other parties for survival,” he added.
Bihar records 32.82 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm in the second phase of elections on Tuesday.
PM Modi says, "'Vocal for local' is a campaign that will change the lives of the local artisans. It is a way with which our local products will gradually become a part of the global market."
Addressing an election rally in Saharsa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "It is the power of every single vote that will guarantee a bright future for the state of Bihar. Each and every vote is very important and powerful."
Congress leader and veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha says, "There's a wave of change. I am confident the results will be in favour of Luv Sinha and development in Bihar." Shatrughan Sinha's son, Luv Sinha is the Congress candidate from Bankipur, Patna.
"The public cannot be fooled for long, look at what condition the public has put Congress party in... Today they do not even have a total of 100 MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha... people still punish them whenever there's a chance," says PM Narendra Modi.
19.26 per cent voter turnout recorded till 11 am in the second phase of Bihar elections2020, as per office of state Chief Electoral Officer.
Attacking the Congress, PM Modi says, "Congress never walked the talk that's why its total strength has shrunk below 100 in Parliament."
On Monday, the BJP won nine of the 11 Rajya Sabha seats. With this, the ruling party’s strength in the Upper House has gone up to 92 while the main opposition Congress’s is set to dip below 40, for the first time.
The BJP on its own is still 31 short of the halfway mark of 123 in the Upper House, but with allies JD(U), which has five members, and Ramdas Athawale of the Republican Party of India, the NDA tally stands at 98. Adding the AIADMK, which has nine MPs, and some parties from the Northeast, the NDA tally easily crosses 110.
Attacking the RJD, PM Modi says, "Proponents of "jungle raj" snatched from poor right to vote with culture of booth capturing, NDA restored it."
PM Modi says, "Voter enthusiasm in Bihar amid global pandemic demonstrates deep roots of democracy in India." The Prime Minister also says, "Lawlessness, extortion losing while development and rule of law winning in Bihar."
PM Modi says, "In the last decade, every house in the state of Bihar got electricity and gas connections. Now, from 2021 to 2030, it is time to fulfill more aspirations of the people of Bihar."
Addressing rally in Araria district, PM Modi says, 'Voting for the second phase of Bihar elections is being held today, and I have been informed that the polling percentage till 10 am is higher as compared to the voter turnout in previous polls.'
He also says, 'Not just to the country, Bihar is giving message to the world. In COVID times, people are coming out in huge numbers to vote. This is democracy's power and every Bihari's devotion for it. Think tanks around the world will evaluate how deeply democracy is entrenched in Indian minds."
"I congratulate our Election Commission for the conduct of elections in such tough times with extra preparations and precautions."
JD(U) leader and Tej Pratap Yadav's father-in-law Chandrika Rai slammed the RJD over its promise of 10 lakh jobs. "Hollow promises are meaningless. If it was so easy to give 10 lakh govt jobs then everyone would make such promises, but it isn't easy."
“Raghopur people do not just elect an MLA, they elect the chief Minister” — Tejashwi Yadav underlined as he filed his nomination from the constituency, represented by Lalu Prasad in 1995 and 2000, and Rabri Devi in 2005.
However, located by the banks of the Ganga, Raghopur has little to show for this association with successive CMs, except for uninterrupted power supply. In 2010, the Yadav-dominated Lalu stronghold chose the JD(U)’s Satish Kumar, also a Yadav, over Rabri. Tejashwi won in 2015, and is up against Kumar this time.
Apart from the family name, Tejashwi, who is hoping to expand the RJD’s appeal beyond caste to development, is counting on goodwill arising out of a project to build a 9.6-km bridge between Kachchi Dargah (Patna) and Bidupur (Hajipur). Work on it began in 2015, when Tejashwi was the deputy CM and held the Road Construction portfolio.
Bihar, for long, has been a graveyard of industry. Those searching for a glimmer of hope, though, needn’t look beyond Barauni town in Begusarai district. Billed as Bihar’s “industrial capital” – voting for the state assembly polls here is on November 3 – it is actually witnessing a resurgence of sorts.
There’s no better symbol of that than the Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd’s (HFCL) ammonia-urea complex at Barauni, shut down in January 1999. It is now being revived – through the setting up of a brand new plant on the same 480 acres land that housed the earlier project. At Rs 7,043.26 crore capital cost, it would be Bihar’s biggest industrial investment.
“Construction is more than 70 per cent complete. Machinery orders are already placed, and we will begin pre-commissioning and commissioning activity from February,” said Sunil Kumar Sinha, general manager of Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) in charge of the project site that currently has 5,000-plus workers alongside Sarens, Sanghvi and Escorts Hydra cranes, JCB excavators and Putzmeister boom placers.
RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Rabri Devi arrive at polling booth number 160 in Patna to cast their vote in the 2nd phase of Bihar elections. "There is a need for change and development in Bihar," says Rabri Devi.
RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav who is contesting from the Hasanpur seat in the Bihar assembly elections, says, "The public wants a change in Bihar. I appeal to people to cast their vote."
Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar cast his vote in the second phase of Bihar polls, at a government school in Digha. "Everyone should come to cast his/her vote," he says.
MoS Home and BJP leader Nityanand Rai cast his vote at a polling booth in Karanpura, Hajipur assembly constituency.
8.05 per cent polling was recorded in the second phase of Bihar elections till 9 am: Chief Electoral Officer(CEO), Bihar.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminding him of the promises he made in the last 6 years, ahead of the latter's arrival in the state today. "Respected Prime Minister, all Biharis once again congratulate you on your arrival to Bihar. Have written a letter to you. Hope you will not forget the promises made to Biharis in the last 6 years and will fulfill them,' he tweeted.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is scheduled to address 12 rallies on Tuesday. Here is the schedule:
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address three rallies today.
Other BJP leaders who will address rallies in Bihar today are Deputy Cm Sushil Kumar Modi, Manoj Tiwari, Nityanand Rai, Sanjay Jaiswal, Dinesh Lal Yadav, Raj Kumar Singh, Samrat Chaudhary, Prem Kumar and Jitan Ram Manjhi.
Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal to address four rallies in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two rallies in Bihar's Araria and Saharsa today.
Chirag Paswan tweets: "In today's polling, there is an appeal to all Bihari people to use their vote to be proud of themselves. Bihar should look changed in the coming government. There should be some work. Give your blessings to implement the vision document #Bihar1stBihari1st, which is made by 4 lakh Biharis.
Tejashwi Yadav tweets, "Vote for good education, better health and law system and developed Bihar. In the new era, change is very important for the new Bihar. Jai Hind, Jai Bihar."
BJP president JP Nadda echoes PM Modi's appeal to voters. "First voting, then eat". The people of Bihar are going to vote in the second phase for their bright future today. It is an appeal to all voters that they should make their contribution and ensure maximum participation in this Mahaparva of democracy by following Corona rules," he tweets.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeals to people to vote in large numbers today. "Votes will be cast for the second phase in Bihar assembly elections today. My appeal to all voters is that they make this celebration of democracy successful by voting in large numbers. During this, along with following social distancing, wear a mask," he tweets.
A girl arrived at a polling booth in Patna with her grandmother on cycle to cast vote in the second phase of Bihar elections. "I've come here with my grandmother. I'll be voting for the first time. I hope we'll have more employment opportunities for youth now," says the girl.
Social distancing norms being followed as voters stand in queues at polling booth no. 325 and 326 in Patna to cast their votes for the second phase of Bihar elections.
In Khagaria's Aguani, which falls in Parbatta constituency -- one of 94 seats that goes to polls in Bihar today -- there is a pool of water behind the ramshackle homes on uneasy stilts of the Dom community and the water has turned a poisonous green, with garbage collected over the years and a sheet of mosquitoes over its surface. For years, all that the Doms here have asked from their politicians is to at least remove the water and level the land, especially after a five-year-old fell and drowned here 10 years ago.
“Once, they came and threw some earth on the road outside. We thought it would finally get done. But they never came inside the village. They think we are untouchable. They don’t want to come near us,” says Vipin Mallick, a local resident.
The Dom community is one of the 22 sub-castes among Dalits in Bihar, categorised as Mahadalits. But even among the Mahadalits, the Doms are treated as the lowest rung — at Aguani village in Parbatta constituency, for instance. Parbatta is one of 94 seats that goes to polls in Bihar in the second phase Tuesday, with the RJD contesting in 56 seats, the BJP in 46 and the JD(U) in 43.