As temperatures dip in some parts of the country, the political heat is rising in Bihar as polling draws near and political parties give their campaigns one final push.
The election for the 243-seat Bihar assembly is being held in 3 phases – 71 constituencies will vote in the first phase on October 28, 94 seats will go to polls in the second phase on November 3 and third phase on November 7 will cover 78 assembly seats. The ballots will be counted on November 10.
Around 7.29 crore people including nearly 78 lakh first-time voters will decide the fate of political stalwarts like Nitish Kumar and as well as that of rising sons like Tejashwi Yadav and Chirag Paswan.
Alliances have changed since the last Bihar assembly elections in 2015 which saw the RJD, JD(U) and Congress combine come to power. However, Nitish Kumar walked out of this grand alliance in 2017 to return to the BJP-led NDA fold. He continued as the Chief Minister but BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi replaced RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav as the Deputy Chief Minister.
2020 might be the younger Yadav scion’s year of vengeance as he takes the field as the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress-RJD Mahagathbandhan. The RJD has bagged the lion’s share and will be contesting 144 seats, Congress 70 seats and the CPI-ML, CPI and CPI(M) will be contesting a total of 29 seats. The grand alliance is however a few allies short with Vikasheel Insaan Party and former CM Jiten Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha quitting the alliance and joining NDA.
The ruling coalition may have gained 2 allies but it lost 1 very important ally with Lok Janshakti Party led by late Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan deciding to party ways with NDA in Bihar over differences with Nitish Kumar. While the LJP will fight the polls alone, it will field candidates only against JD(U) and not the BJP.
The saffron party is contesting 110 seats, the JD(U) 115 seats and smaller allies Vikasheel Insaan Party and CM Jiten Ram Manjhi’s HAM will be fighting from 11 and 7 seats respectively.
There are other minor political parties and alliances in the fray as well. Former NDA ally Upendra Khushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party has joined hands with Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party has formed an alliance with MP Pappu Yadav’s Jan Adhikar Party.
Whether these smaller parties dampen the Diwali festivities of the bigger ones by dividing their votes or Nitish Kumar beats anti-incumbency to retain his chair or an ailing Lalu Yadav sees his son lead his party to victory will be clear when the EVMs are unlocked on November 10.