Voting in the seventy-one Bihar assembly constituencies continued past 6pm in the first phase of the 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections. This was the first major election held amid the Covid- pandemic. 19. While the polls remained peaceful without any major incident or EVM failure, the state witnessed high-octane preparation for the second phase scheduled for November 3, as both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leader of Congress Rahul Gandhi addressed the rallies in the state on Wednesday.
This is the first time that voting continues until 6 pm instead of 5 pm. The Electoral Commission extended the voting time by one hour to avoid crowds in the booths. The voting continued even after 6 pm, the electoral commission said.
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“Turnout is projected to be higher than the last Lok Sabha and Assembly election. It is encouraging that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, people went out to vote. In the 2015 Assembly elections, voter turnout as of 5:00 pm was 54.94%. And in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, voter turnout as of 5pm was 53.54%. The voting continues. The latest figures will be shared with you later. I would like to thank the voters of Bihar, the political parties and the media for making the first elections in the middle of the coronavirus go smoothly, ”said Chief Elections Commissioner Sunil Arora.
The percentage of electoral participation was 46.29 until 3 in the afternoon. In the first hours, turnout was comparatively low, as up to 11 a.m., voter turnout was only 18.30 percent. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the percentage of votes indicates that the people of Bihar want peace, development and stability.
Union Minister and BJP Leader Giriraj Singh cast his vote at a voting booth in Lakhisarai, while former Bihar Chief Minister and HAM President Jitan Ram Manjhi exercised his right to vote at a booth in Gaya. Ministers of state and also candidates from different constituencies – Vijay Sinha and Krishnandan Verma – and Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning shooter Shreyasi Singh, nominated to the BJP from the Jamui seat, cast their vote.
The BJP has accused Rahul Gandhi of violating the Model Code of Conduct, as the congressional leader tweeted on Wednesday morning urging voters to cast their votes in favor of the Mahagathbandhan. The Electoral Commission ordered an FIR against Bihar’s BJP leader and agriculture minister, Prem Kumar, for casting his vote wearing a mask bearing his party’s symbol.
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