It's a wrap for Bihar polls campaign ahead of final phase voting | Key points
Voting for the second phase of the Bihar assembly election will be held on Tuesday, November 11. The results will be announced on November 14.
The Bihar election campaign concluded on Sunday evening as the state prepares for the second and final phase of the high-stakes assembly elections. Thus, it is now curtains on a nearly month-long fierce battle of words and nerves among rivals vying for power in the state.
While the first phase of polls, which registered a record 65 per cent turnout, was held on November 6, voting for the second phase will be held on Tuesday, November 11. The results will be announced on November 14.
Some significant seats will be up for grabs in the second phase, including JD(U) minister Sumit Kumar Singh’s Chakai, BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh's Jamui, JD(U) minister Leshi Singh's Dhamdaha, and BJP minister Neeraj Kumar Singh's Chhatapur.
In total, 122 seats will see polls in the second phase, with 121 having voted in the first phase last week.
Finishing touches to the blazing election campaign in Bihar were given to the blitzkrieg on the closing day by union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Bihar election second phase campaign ends | Top points
- Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in Kishanganj and Purnea districts in the Seemanchal region, which has a sizable population of Muslims, whose support is vital for the opposition INDIA bloc. It was an energetic campaign by Gandhi, who addressed 15 election meetings altogether. I'm telling the youth of Bihar, I'm telling the Gen Z of Bihar, it's your responsibility to be vigilant at the polling booth and not let this happen. They're trying to steal your future, that's why they're stealing votes," Gandhi said.
- Amit Shah, who has been staying in the poll-bound state for days, addressed rallies in Sasaram and Arwal, places where the BJP is relatively weak and which are, therefore, on the radar of the party's principal strategist. The home minister alleged that the Congress and the RJD weren't happy with SIR as “infiltrators were deleted from the voter list.”
- Defence minister Rajnath Singh addressed rallies in Aurangabad and Kaimur districts, both bordering his home state of Uttar Pradesh. He took jibes at RJP supremo Lalu Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav.
- The poll campaign would be remembered for the intensive canvassing by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took time off for 14 rallies, in addition to a roadshow.
- This election also saw Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigning in Bihar for the first time. She led a fairly vigorous campaign, with 10 rallies and a roadshow, although one of her election meetings had to be cancelled due to bad weather, which prevented her from taking a helicopter to reach the venue.
- On the other hand, the BJP's star-studded campaign featured its president, JP Nadda, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, regional satraps like Yogi Adityanath, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Mohan Yadav—the CMs of UP, Assam, and MP, respectively, as well as actor-turned-politicians Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari. They also got help from NDA leaders from other states, like Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena and Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh of the TDP.
- The campaign by CM Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) supremo, who is aiming for a fifth consecutive term in office, was silent yet determined, largely out of the spotlight. He remained unperturbed and continued with his rallies and impromptu roadshows despite the weather playing spoilsport.
- RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, who is the CM face of the INDIA bloc Mahagathbandhan, led a spirited campaign. Tejashwi Yadav fired on all cylinders, buoyed by the confidence shown in him by the opposition alliance.
- The campaign of the Jan Suraaj Party, considered to be the 'X factor' of this election, was all about its founder, Prashant Kishor, who has been credited with managing many glitzy campaigns of political bigwigs across the country, but chose to sweat it out in his home state with a conventional door-to-door style of outreach. He attacked Rahul Gandhi's outreach to young voters, saying Why would the Gen Z listen to him?”.
- The Congress accused the BJP-JD(U) on Sunday of "looting" Bihar for the past 20 years through corruption and expressed confidence that the people of the state will be liberated from this "trouble-engine government" through their vote. The party's general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, claimed the people of Bihar are paying the price for the "loot, corruption, and negligence" that has persisted for the past 20 years.
