Campaigning for the second phase of the Bihar assembly elections 2020 is in full swing. A total of 71 assembly constituencies of Bihar spread across 16 districts went to polls on Wednesday in the first phase amid tight security and with COVID-19 guidelines in place. The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections saw 55.69 percent of the nearly 2.15 crore eligible voters having exercised their franchise on Wednesday. The next phase of polling will be held on November 3 and the final phase is on November 7. The counting of votes and results will be out on November 10.
Here are the updates from the Bihar elections 2020 today
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RJD candidate and former minister Tej Pratap Yadav of Hasanpur assembly constituency alleged that he was attacked during the election campaign. He escaped narrowly due to the readiness of the security personnel. DSP Sahriar Akhtar said that investigation is underway.
BJP state vice president Rajiv Ranjan took a jibe at the Congress party during a rally today. He alleged that sans their tie-up with RJD in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress would be the first national party in the country whose deposit was forfeited on all assembly seats.
BJP National President J P Nadda addresses a public rally in Begusarai: "You'll believe the one who has done something good in the past, then only that person will do good in future. We can proudly state our achievements in front of the public, that's our strength," he said.
Campaign rally schedule today: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to address five rallies on Friday in Khagaria, Sitamarhi and Shivhar. BJP president JP Nadda will address two rallies in Begusarai and Sivan. Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Ashwani Chaube will hold rallies in Pirpainti, Bachwara, Motihari and Vaishali. BJP leader Manoj Tiwari will hold rally in Madhuban, Narkatia, Chanpatia, Bhore and Gopalganj. Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi will hold rallies in Vaishali and Motihari, while the Union minister will campaign in Sitamarhi, Chapra and Ujiarpur. Opposition leader Tejaswi Yadav will hold multiple rallies in Samastipur, Begusarai, Begusarai Sadar, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur and Chapra. He will also hold a press conference in the day. LJP chief Chirag Paswan will hold rallies in Bhagalpur, Khagaria and Begusarai.
Left slams Modi for "jungle raj ka yuvraaj" jibe at Tejashwi Yadav: Leaders of the Left parties on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "jungle raj ka yuvraaj (crown prince)" jibe aimed at Tejashwi Yadav, whose Rashtriya Janata Dal heads the five-party opposition grand alliance in Bihar. At a press conference which was addressed jointly by secretary generals of CPI(M) and CPI, Sitaram Yechury and D Raja respectively, besides CPI(ML) politburo member Kavita Krishnan, the leaders alleged that the epithet "rule of the jungle" was more apt for the administration in adjoining Uttar Pradesh headed by firebrand BJP leader Yogi Adityanath. The prime minister had, at rallies he addressed in the poll-bound state on Wednesday, repeatedly used the expression "jungle raj ke yuvraaj" without naming Yadav, who is theopposition coalition's chief ministerial candidate, seeking to highlight the poor law and order situation that characterised the period when his parents Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi ruled the state.
Why does BJP rake up Pakistan every time elections are held, says Congress to Nadda: The Congress on Thursday hit back at BJP chief J P Nadda over his swipe at Rahul Gandhi and asked why the BJP brought up Pakistan every time there was an election in the country. Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said it seems the BJP chief has decided to contest elections in Pakistan and that is why he is watching Pakistani TV channels and talking about the neighbouring country at a time when elections are being held in Bihar. "The Congress party stands with the Indian Army and will continue to be so. But, the question is why does BJP remember Pakistan when elections come? Why is it that the moment elections come, you remember Kashmir or 'shamshan versus kabristan'?" he told reporters. "This KPK (Kashmir, Pakistan, Kabristan) model will not work anymore. What will work is good governance, employment, safety and security of women. KPK model is gone, now it is only RRR (rozgaar, rozgar, rozgaar (employment) model on which we are contesting this election."
Bihar's COVID-19 recovery rate increases to 95.55%: As many as 1,068 people were cured of COVID-19 in Bihar on Thursday, totaling 2,05,385 recoveries as of date, the health department said. With this, the recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state has improved to 95.55 percent, slightly up from 95.40 percent on Wednesday, the department said in a bulletin. The state has so far tested 1.06 crore samples, including 1,31,357 samples in the past 24 hours, it said.
Modi govt gave special priority to Bihar by doubling funds compared to UPA, says Anurag Thakur: The Modi government has given special priority to Bihar by giving double funds and assistance compared to the UPA's tenure reflecting commitment towards transforming the state, Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur has said. To accelerate growth of the state, the Modi government, during 2014-2019, provided Bihar double the amount totalling Rs 1,09,642 crore as compared to Rs 50,008 crore during the UPA 2009-14 through grants-in-aid, he said. This is an increase of 119 per cent over the amount of funds given by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to Bihar, Thakur said as part of the election campaign in the poll-bound state.
Nitish Kumar also addressed a rally at Sikta assembly seat too, where he said, "Some people want to create discord in the society, but I request you with folded hands live with harmony." He once again said that for him entire Bihar is family, whereas "some people" work just for their family which includes husband, wife and children. His barb was apparently directed at his bete noire Lalu Prasad. He said some people are "unhappy" with him for imposing prohibition. He said earlier there used to be numerous incidents of murder and massacres, but his government has controlled crime and established the rule of law. He said that his government has ensured development along with justice for all sections of society including the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, Extremely Backward Classes and Mahadalits.
In his Valmiki Nagar rally, Nitish also attacked the RJD over its record on law and order and ridiculed Tejashwi Yadav's promise of 10 lakh jobs. He repeatedly told the people that his government has worked for the development of Bihar with the cooperation of the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Yadav's promise of sanctioning 10 lakh government jobs in his first cabinet meeting, Kumar said, "I say that one crore students have passed 10+2 exams (intermediate exam) in the past 10 years, why not give a job to all of them?" "Will the funds come from the sky for these jobs? he mockingly asked. Kumar claimed that when the RJD was in power for 15 years, it gave jobs to just 95,000 people, while during his 15-rule six lakh people got jobs and other work opportunities were also made available.
Though in his speech on Thursday, Kumar did not specify if he was talking about caste-based census data, but he has often demanded the 2021 census brings out that data. He has on several occasions in the past said that all castes should get reservation proportionate to their population.
Nitish supports population-proportionate reservation: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Thursday backed population-based reservation for castes but said it can only be implemented after census data is available. Addressing a poll rally in Valmiki Nagar, he said, “And as far as the question of population is concerned that is decided only after the census and that decision (on the census) is not in our hands. We would like that reservation be proportionate to the population of castes. We have no two opinions on it," he said.
Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat will go for by-poll on November 7. The by-election has been necessitated there due to the death of JD(U) MP Baidyanath Mahto. Kumar headed party has nominated Mahto's son Sunil Kumar from the seat.
55.69 percent voter turnout in 1st phase of Bihar assembly elections, says EC: The coronavirus scare failed to impact the turnout in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly election with 55.69 percent of the nearly 2.15 crore eligible voters having exercised their franchise on Wednesday. According to the Election Commission, as compared to the corresponding assembly segments which went to poll in the 2015 state elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the turnout this time was higher. In the 2015 assembly elections, the turnout was 54.94 percent in the corresponding constituencies. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls—with the same assembly seats mapped to parliamentary seats -- the turnout was 53.54 percent.
Dismiss Bihar CM, Dy CM and officials responsible for Munger firing on devotees: Cong Stepping up its attack on the JD(U)BJP government over the Munger firing incident in which a devotee was killed, the Congress on Thursday demanded the dismissal of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi to ensure the truth comes out and there is no cover-up. Congress spokesperson Gouvav Vallabh alleged that the firing on devotees, who wanted to immerse the idol of Goddess Durga, was done by the police at the behest of the government and all those responsible behind it, including the district magistrate and the Superintendent of police, should be sacked.
Bihar minister booked for poll code violation: Bihar Agriculture Minister and BJP candidate Prem Kumar was on Wednesday booked for violation of the poll panel's model code of conduct, police said. Prem Kumar, the BJP candidate from the Gaya Town constituency, faced the action for going to a polling booth wearing a yellow colour face mask on which his party symbol was printed even as voting for the first of the three-phase Assembly elections was underway. A case was filed against Prem Kumar under various sections of the Indian Penal Code on the recommendation of the state's chief electoral officer, Additional Director General, Law and Order, Jitendra Kumar said. As per the Election Commission guidelines, candidates or parties cannot campaign 36 hours prior to the start of polling.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on PM Modi's 'Jungle Raj' comment: The PM didn't say anything on the special package for Bihar, unemployment, malnutrition.
Nitish Kumar seeks votes in name of Modi, says PM will develop Bihar: Marking a full circle from the time he had refused to share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar sought votes in his name. With PM's Vikas mantra, Nitish devoted his speech here to works undertaken by the Centre in Bihar and said Modi would ensure the state was developed if the NDA was voted back to power.
After Bihar, BJP now promises 'Free Coronavirus Vaccine' in the manifesto for Madhya Pradesh by-polls: After its promise of free coronavirus vaccine in Bihar amid elections, BJP reiterated its word in Madhya Pradesh. The party has promised a free Covid-19 vaccine to every resident of MP in its manifesto for the November 3 Assembly byelections.
LJP chief Chirag Paswan: BJP-LJP will form a new govt in Bihar on Nov 10
The prominent candidates whose electoral fate has been locked in the EVMs are Shreyasi Singh, a CWG gold medallist shooter, and six members of the outgoing cabinet—Prem Kumar (Gaya Town), Vijay Kumar Sinha (Lakhisarai), Ram Narayan Mandal (Banka), Krishnanandan Prasad Verma (Jehanabad), Jaikumar Singh (Dinara) and Santosh Kumar Nirala (Rajpur).
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said in Delhi that the voter turnout in phase one was 54.94 percent in the 2015 assembly polls, while in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections the corresponding figure was 53.54 percent.
The first phase of polling for the Bihar assembly elections passed off peacefully on Wednesday as an estimated 54.26 percent of nearly 2.15 crore eligible voters exercised their franchise, marginally lower than in 2015, as the coronavirus scare failed to impact the turnout.—With inputs from agencies
(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav, Abhishek Jha)
First Published: Oct 30, 2020 8:47 AM IST
