Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : Polling in the seventy-one assembly constituencies of Bihar continued beyond 6pm in the first phase of Bihar Assembly Election 2020. This was the first major election conducted amid Covid-19 pandemic. While polling remained peaceful without any major incident or EVM glitch, the state witnessed high-octane preparation for the second phase scheduled on November 3 — as both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in the state on Wednesday.
This is the first time voting went on till 6pm instead of 5pm. The Election Commission extended voting time by one hour to avoid crowding in any booth. Voting continued even after 6pm, the election commission said.
“The turnout is projected to be more than the last Lok Sabha and Assembly election. It is encouraging that even during Covid-19 pandemic, people came out to cast votes. In 2015 Assembly election, the voter turnout till 5pm was 54.94%. And in 2019 Lok Sabha election, the voter turnout till 5pm was 53.54%. The polling is still going on. The latest figures will be shared with you later. I would like to thank Bihar voters, political parties, media persons for making the first election amid Coronavirus happen smoothly,” chief election commissioner Sunil Arora said.
The voter turnout percentage was 46.29 till 3pm. In the early hours, the turnout was comparatively low as till 11am, the voter turnout was only 18.30 per cent. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the voting percentage indicates that Bihar people want peace, development and stability.
A total of 71 assembly segments of the state’s 243 constituencies voted in the first phase in which nearly 2.15 crore voters were to decide the electoral fate of over 1,000 candidates.
Voting ended at 6 pm.
Voter turnout was low in the beginning, but it progressed with the time everywhere notwithstanding raging coronavirus cases in the state.
As per the provisional voter turnout data updated by the Election Commission at 5 pm, 51.91 per cent of the total electorates have exercised their franchise.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to follow all COVID-19 norms while going to cast their votes.
“I urge all voters to ensure their participation in this festival of democracy taking all COVID-19 related precautions. Keep ‘do gaj ki doori’ (maintain a distance of two yards,) and wear mask mandatorily. Voting first, breakfast later,” he tweeted.
As the polling began, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged people to cast their votes in favour of the Mahagathbandhan for “justice, employment and farmers-workers”.
“This time for justice, employment, farmers-workers, your vote should be only for ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance),” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
“Good wishes to all of you on the first phase of Bihar elections,” he tweeted with the hashtag in Hindi ‘Aaj Badlega Bihar’.
The 71 constituencies are spread across 16 districts.
The maximum 55.95 per cent turnout has been recorded in Kaimur, followed by 55.44 per cent in Lakhisarai, Buxar (53.84 per cent), Bhagalpur (52.16 per cent) and Patna (51.02 per cent) among others.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh cast his vote at a polling booth in Lakhisarai, while former Bihar chief minister and HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi exercised his franchise at a booth in Gaya.
RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav urged people to vote for a better future, education, health, jobs and development for Bihar.
State ministers and also candidates from different constituencies- Vijay Sinha and Krishnandan Verma- and commonwealth games gold medal winning shooter Shreyasi Singh, BJP nominee from Jamui seat, cast their vote.
Enthusiasm of voters was seen at many a booth. In Nawada, a physically challenged voter reached booth on his tricycle to cast his vote.
In Dinana assembly constituency, a group of women expressed happiness after exercising franchise.
Polling time was curtailed in the naxal-affected areas. Out of the 71 constituencies, 35 are in naxal-hit areas where polling was conducted in a staggered manner.
