Highest turnout in ‘history of Bihar’ as 65% of 3.75 cr cast vote in phase I

PATNA: In the ‘highest ever’ voter turnout in Bihar, nearly 65 per cent of 3.75 crore electorates 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 NDA’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 per cent in the history of Bihar”.

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 a slew of ministers, being among the 1,314 candidates in fray in this phase.