Patna: Amid Corona pandemic, stage is now set for first of three phased Bihar Assembly Elections as 2,14, 84,787 electorate would be exercising their franchise at 31, 380 polling stations in 71 seats tomorrow from 7 AM to 6 PM with shorter duration in some seats due to security reasons, amid elaborate security arrangements to decide the fate of 1066 candidates, with Nitish led NDA and Tejaswi led Grand Alliance, emerging as main power contenders for the next term.
After slight uncertainties over possibility of holding scheduled Bihar Assembly Elections due to prevailing Corona pandemic following demands from almost all opposition parties and LJP a part of ruling NDA at the Centre, to defer the Elections for few months in larger interest of protecting lives of people, Election Commission ultimately cleared mist by announcing detailed programme of Bihar Assembly Elections. Stage is now set for first of the three phased polling tomorrow with 2,14,84,787 electorate including 1,01,32,434 female voters would be exercising their franchise amid fool proof security arrangements to decide the fate of 1066 candidates.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is the CM face of NDA, who has been at the helm of affairs since 2005 barring a period of few months from May 2014 to 2015 when Mr Jeetan Ram Manjhi was Chief Minister while Mr Tejaswi Prasad Yadav is the CM face of Grand Alliance. Both NDA and Grand Alliance are the main power contenders while RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha is leading a newly floated Grand Democratic Secular Front (GDSF) and Jan Adhikar Party leader Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav has also floated a new front Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) comprising few smaller parties. While NDA with its constituents of JD(U), BJP, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Vikassheel Insan Party( VIP) has galvanised all its energy under the leadership of Mr Kumar, Grand Alliance compromising RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M), have solidly put their weights behind Tejaswi Prasad Yadav.
Of the total 1066 candidates in the fray in first phase of Bihar Assembly Elections, the ruling JD(U) has fielded 35 candidates followed by BJP which has fielded 29 candidates. HAM and VIP has fielded 6 candidates and 1 candidate respectively.
