In the "highest ever" voter turnout in Bihar, nearly 65 percent of 3.75 crore electors exercised their franchise on Thursday across 121 constituencies in the first phase of the assembly elections, which marks the beginning of a closely watched high-stakes contest that is seen as a litmus test of the ruling National Democratic Alliance's popularity.
In a statement, the Election Commission said the first phase of the assembly elections concluded peacefully "in a festive mood with the highest-ever voter turnout of 64.66 percent in the history of Bihar".
Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said women came out in large numbers to cast their votes, with "a lot of enthusiasm".
The NDA, which has been in power in the state for 20 years, except for a few brief interruptions, is banking on its image of "sushasan" (good governance) in contrast to the alleged "jungle raj" of the RJD-Congress combine, while the opposition bloc relies on anti-incumbency and the unprecedented "jobs-for-every-home" promise of its CM candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, to outperform the ruling alliance.
The polls for the 243-member assembly are being closely watched not only for their local implications but also as an early indicator of the political mood ahead of 2029, and follow the highly controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll by the EC, which came under attack from opposition parties for alleged "rigging" and "manipulation" of voter lists.
The second and the last phase will be held on November 11, and the counting will take place on November 14.
Stakes are high for both the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc, with several key leaders, including RJD's Yadav, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, besides a slew of ministers, being among the 1,314 candidates in fray in this phase.
Stray incidents of violence, including an alleged attack on Sinha's vehicle, were reported from some areas during the polling.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed rallies in a couple of constituencies going to polls in the second and final phase, felt that the noticeably high number of women turning up to vote was a good sign for the NDA.
"Mothers, daughters, and sisters have been the worst sufferers of 'jungle raj'. Today, they seem to have put up a fortress around polling booths to prevent the return of 'jungle raj'," Modi remarked.
The NDA hopes that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's record, along with recent welfare measures such as 125 units of free power, Rs 10,000 cash transfers to over 1 crore women, and an increase in social security pensions, will help counter anti-incumbency.
However, the opposition dismissed the boasts of the BJP-led coalition and hoped that people would vote for a change.
RJD president Lalu Prasad, who hopes that his younger son and heir apparent Yadav will form the next government, came out with an evocative social media post, drawing the analogy of a "roti".
"If a roti is not flipped on a tawa (pan), it gets burnt. Twenty years is a long time. A Tejashwi government is essential to build a new Bihar," Prasad wrote on X.
There have also been allegations and counter-allegations from both sides on the polling day.
Deputy CM Sinha, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term from Lakhisarai, claimed that one of the cars in his convoy was attacked by RJD supporters trying to “intimidate” voters belonging to extremely backward classes.
On the other hand, the RJD alleged on X that voting had been "deliberately slowed down" in areas where the INDIA bloc was strongly placed, a charge promptly rejected by the EC.
A notable feature of this election has been the presence of Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, which the former political strategist believes could emerge as the proverbial dark horse.
Kishor has caught public imagination with his promise of making the state "among the top-ranking ones in the country", and to this end, he has not shied away from making a few bold statements, including his announcement that he intends to scrap the prohibition law, which has been bleeding the state dry.
Polling was held across 18 districts, with Muzaffarpur and Samastipur recording the highest turnouts, as per the latest available data.
Muzaffarpur recorded a turnout of 70.96 per cent, while the polling percentage in Samastipur stood at 70.63.
Madhepura recorded 67.21 percent turnout, followed by Vaishali at 67.37 percent, Saharsa at 66.84 percent, Khagaria at 66.36 percent, Lakhisarai at 65.05 percent, Munger at 60.40 percent, Siwan at 60.31 percent, Nalanda at 58.91 percent, and Patna at 57.93 percent.
The low turnout in Patna was largely attributed to urban constituencies such as Bankipur, Digha, and Kumhrar, where electors are known to be less enthusiastic.
According to the Election Commission, the assembly elections of 1951-52 saw the lowest voter turnout in the state at 42.6 percent, while the one in 2000 saw the highest turnout before this, at 62.57 percent.
In the last assembly polls in 2020, held under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, a voter turnout of 57.29 percent was recorded. The 2015 elections recorded a turnout of 56.91 percent, while the one before that, in 2010, the polling percentage stood at 52.73 percent.
Politics in Bihar is as much about numbers as it is about castes. Caste and community loyalties remain crucial, with Yadavs, Kushwahas, Kurmis, Brahmins, and Dalits shaping outcomes in key constituencies.
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