Bihar Elections 2025: 31.38 pc turnout till 11 am in second phase of polls

Polling was underway at a moderate pace on Tuesday across 122 assembly constituencies of Bihar where 3138 per cent of 37 crore voters exercised their franchise till 11 am in the second and final phase of the highstakes assembly polls seen as a veritable referendum on the JDU president and chief minister Nitish KumarAlthough Kumar who is a member of the state legislative council and has been in the seat of power longer than any of his predecessors is not himself contesting the polls the BJPled NDA is banking on good governance during his tenure to tackle the antiincumbency factorThe second phase in which eight ministers of his cabinet are in the fray involves high stakes for the ruling NDA as also the opposition INDIA bloc which pins its hopes on the incumbency factor as well as the high concentration of Muslims in many of the pollbound districtsThe second phase is of particular significance for the Congress a spent force which is nonetheless the second largest constituent of the INDIA bloc in BiharOf the 19 seats it had won in 2020 assembly polls 12 go to polls in the current phase Its sitting MLAs include state president Rajesh Kumar Ram Kutumba and Shakeel Ahmed Khan KadwaKishanganj district recorded the highest polling percentage so far at 3474 followed by Gayaji 3407 and Jamui 3369In the first phase on November 6 a record 6509 per cent of 375 crore electors across 121 constituencies had cast their vote which both rival groups claim to be to their advantageHowever Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor the proverbial X factor in the elections believes that the spike in voting percentage is due to the fact that people of the state who had been in search of an alternative have found one in his barely a year old outfitVoting began for 122 constituencies in Bihar in the second and final phase of the highstakes assembly polls amid tight security arrangements he saidThe polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pmIn this phase the electoral fate of 1302 candidates including several ministers in the Nitish Kumar government will be sealedPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged electors to exercise their franchise in the final phase of polling and set a new voting recordToday marks the second and final phase of voting in the Bihar assembly elections I urge all voters to participate enthusiastically and set a new voting record I especially urge my young friends from the state who are voting for the first time to not only cast their votes themselves but also inspire others to do so the PM said on XKumar said voting is not only our right but also a responsibilityI appeal to voters to exercise their right to vote in the second phase of the Bihar assembly elections he said in a social media postThe districts where voting is underway include West and East Champaran Sitamarhi Madhubani Supaul Araria and Kishanganj all sharing borders with NepalMost of these districts fall in the Seemanchal region which has a high concentration of Muslim population making it a highstakes battle for both the INDIA bloc which banks on the support of the minority community as well as the ruling NDA which alleges that the opposition is protecting infiltratorsDeputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said people are blessing the doubleengine governments Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas mantra by pressing the vote buttonThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever