Bihar sets new record with 69 pc turnout in second phase of Assembly elections

Bihar on Tuesday witnessed a recordbreaking turnout of nearly 69 per cent in the second and final phase of assembly polls wrapping up a nearly monthlong exercise that saw the ruling NDA defend its sushasan pitch against the oppositions onslaught promising change reported news agency PTIThe results which will be declared on November 14 will decide whether Nitish Kumar the JDU president and the longest serving Chief Minister secures yet another tenure or his former deputy Tejashwi Yadav who has likened the 20yearold regime to a rickety old car khataara takes the wheelBriefing reporters Chief Electoral Officer CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said the state recorded 6879 per cent voter turnout provisionally in the second and final phase of the assembly pollsIn both phases the state registered a voter turnout of 6690 per cent provisionally which is 96 percentage points more than the last assembly polls the CEO addedHowever an ECI statement issued from New Delhi put the voter turnout at 6876 per cent The female turnout 7403 per cent was significantly higher compared with males 641 per centThe statement also disclosed that women had outnumbered men in the first phase as well with female turnout 716 per cent as against only 628 per cent male electors who cast their votesWhile Yadav and his allies in the INDIA bloc claim that the high turnout was indicative of a very strong antiincumbency sentiment NDA leaders have been quick to counter that heavy polling does not necessarily spell change citing past instances of incumbents retaining powerTarkishore Prasad senior BJP leader and a former deputy CM who is contesting from Katihar told PTI video the high voter turnout is a result of the enthusiasm in the public especially women who are determined to reward the Nitish Kumar government which has made available 125 units of free power provided females with Rs 10000 under Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana and also announced a substantial hike in various social security pension schemesAltogether 10 districts including Muzaffarpur and Samastipur which went to polls in the first phase have registered voting turnout higher than 70 per centWith the exception of Banka which recorded 7030 per cent turnout all these districts are situated north of the Ganges an area which is densely populated and where the NDA has traditionally performed wellHowever the top three districts in terms of turnout Katihar 7884 Kishanganj 7815 and Purnea 7614 all falling in the Seemanchal region have a high concentration of Muslims and are seen as bastions of the INDIA bloc even as the ruling NDA has been alleging that the opposition coalition has offered protection to infiltrators in these areas as well as elsewhere in BiharIn at least three assembly segments Kasba Purnea Pranpur Katihar and Thakurganj Kishanganj the turnout crossed the 80 per cent markAmid the tug of war between the NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc Prashant Kishor the former political strategist hopes that his oneyearold Jan Suraaj Party will make an impact with its pledge for an alternative that promises education and jobs and an end to distress migrationAlthough Kumar who is a member of the state legislative council is not himself contesting the polls the BJPled NDA is banking on good governance during the tenure of the JDU president 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 round is of particular significance for the Congress a spent force which is nonetheless the secondlargest constituent of the INDIA bloc in Bihar Of the 19 seats it had won in the 2020 assembly elections 12 went to polls in the current phaseIts sitting MLAs include state president Rajesh Kumar Ram Kutumba and Shakeel Ahmed Khan KadwaIn 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 Kishor the proverbial X factor in the elections believes that the spike in voting percentage is because people of the state who had been in search of an alternative have found one in his barely a yearold outfitAhead of the second phase of voting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the chief minister had 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 took place in the final phase include West and East Champaran Sitamarhi Madhubani Supaul Araria and Kishanganj all sharing borders with NepalWith inputs from PTI