Bihar election campaign ends, 122 seats vote in last phase tomorrow
Campaigning ended for the second and last phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on Sunday, two days before 122 of the 243 seats in the state — covering parts of Mithila, Kosi belt, western Bihar, Magadh, Angika and Seemanchal regions — go to the polls.
The first phase of the Assembly elections on November 6, in which voting for 121 seats took place, saw a record turnout of 64.66 per cent. As Seemanchal has shown a trend of higher voting in the past, all eyes will be on whether the final phase also sees a record turnout. Counting of votes will take place on November 14.
The state’s overall turnout in the 2020 Assembly elections was 57.29 per cent; it was 57.28 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
As the NDA looks to continue to helm the state, the RJD and Congress are hoping to break JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar’s almost 20-year-run as Bihar’s Chief Minister.
While the RJD in alliance with the JD(U) won the 2015 Bihar elections, the alliance broke soon after. Now, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, supported by the Congress, is fighting to break the RJD’s electoral jinx.
For Nitish, this may be his last electoral battle, one which he hopes to win and become the Chief Minister again.
For the BJP, after the dip in performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bihar holds high stakes. If the BJP emerges as the single largest party in a big state like Bihar, it will help the party maintain its growing primacy in the state and the Centre.