The Election Commission on Wednesday announced the dates for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Bihar. Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi announced the dates for the polls for the 243-member Assembly.
# Bihar Assembly election: Voting in 49 seats in phase 1, 32 in 2nd, 50 in 3rd, 55 in 4th and 57 in 5th. The results will be announced on November 8. Election will be completed by November 12.
# 5th Phase: Last date of notification: October 15; Date of scrutiny: October 17; Last date of withdrawal: October 19; Date of polling: November 5 (Thursday) . Phase 5 will have 57 seats including Madhubani, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnea, Katihar, Madhepura, Saharsa and Darbhanga.
# 4th Phase: Last date of notification: October 14; Date of scrutiny: October 15; Last date of withdrawal: October 17; Date of polling: November 1 (Sunday) . Phase 4 has 55 seats including Pashchim Champaran, Poorvi Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan.
# 3rd Phase: Date of notification: Oct 8; Last date of notification: October 15; Date of scrutiny: October 17; Last date of withdrawal: October 19; Date of polling: October 28 (Thursday) . Phase 3 has 50 seats including Saran, Vaishali, Nalanda, Patna, Bhojpur, Buxar.
# 2nd Phase: Date of notification: September 21 (Monday); Last date of notification: September 28 (Monday); Date of scrutiny: September 29; Last date of withdrawal: October 1; Date of polling: October 16, 2015 (Friday); Phase 2 has 32 seats including Kaimur (Bhabhua), Arwai, Jahanabad, Aurangabad and Gaya
# 1st Phase: Date of notification: September 16 (Wednesday). Last date of notification: September 21 (Wednesday). Date of scrutiny: September 24. Last date of withdrawal: September 26. Date of polling: October 12, 2015. Voting in phase 1 will be held in 49 seats.
# Bihar to have elections in five phases.
# Central paramilitary forces to guard all the polling booths.
# Nine separate agencies to check use of liquor, arms and money power.
# Gathering information about money and liquor stored in advance. Appropriate action would be taken.
# Committees under district magistrates to check deposition of arms.
# Term of current Assembly expires on November 29.
# Bihar has a total electorate of 6.68 crore. Satisfied with the arrangements for free and fair polls.
# Adequate arrangements for central paramilitary forces. Major focus on confidence building measures.
The Bihar Assembly elections are being seen as a battle primarily between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While Nitish’s Janata Dal-United (JDU) is contesting is contesting the election in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sided with smaller parties like the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RSLP) and the Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM).
In the run to the polls, several top leaders, including Nitish Kumar, Narendra Modi, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, HAM’s Jitan Ram Manjhi, have indulged in bitter war of words. While PM Modi questioned the "DNA" of the Bihar Chief Minister, the JDU leader hit back calling it an attack on the pride of Bihar.
The JDU has also kickstarted a ‘Jumla Babu’ campaign to take on Prime Minister Modi on the promises he made before Lok Sabha elections 2014, but failed to fulfil.
While the JDU-RJD-Congress combine has already finalised the seat sharing for the polls, the NDA alliance is yet to make a formal announcement on the same. The JDU and the RJD will be contesting on 100 seats each whereas the Congress will try its luck on 40 seats.
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