Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 Date: Bihar must elect a new assembly of 243 members by November 29.
New Delhi:
Bihar will vote on October 28, November 3 and 7 for a new government and the results will be announced on November 10, the Electoral Commission said today. The country’s largest election in the coronavirus crisis will take place with many changes, including an additional hour of voting and no physical contact during the campaign.
In announcing the three-phase elections, Chief Elections Commissioner Sunil Arora called it a “leap of faith,” noting that the JEE and NEET engineering and medical examinations were conducted recently and that a large number of students performed for them. “COVID shows no signs of going down. Some way had to be found to elect representatives and protect people’s health. Life has to go on,” he told reporters.
“The world has changed significantly since the last elections, which were held for the Delhi assembly. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a new normal in all aspects of our lives,” Arora said.
Bihar has to elect a new assembly of 243 members before November 29.
Voting will take place from 7 a. M. A 6 a. Instead of 5 a.m. M. Covid patients, suspects and those in quarantine will vote separately and there will be no physical contact during meetings and rallies, the Chief Elections Commissioner said. Voters must wear masks and gloves. The number of phases has also been reduced from five to minimize infection. “COVID-19 patients can vote in the last hour of the day,” Arora said.
This is the country’s largest election to be held amid the coronavirus crisis.
The powerful electoral body has also warned against the misuse of social media. “Anyone who uses social media for malicious purposes, such as to provoke community tension during the elections, will have to face the consequences; hate speech will also be treated harshly,” Arora said.
Prime Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads a coalition in the state with the BJP, hopes to win a fourth term with the RJD opponent of jailed former Prime Minister Lalu Yadav and Congress, his partners in the last elections, challenging him.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) includes Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United, the BJP, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, and former Prime Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha, who recently left the opposition alliance.
The opposition, led by Lalu Yadav’s son Tejashwi Yadav, plans to target the ruling coalition for its handling of the coronavirus crisis and the migration crisis, in addition to the flooding in the state. The center’s controversial agricultural bills, passed in parliament despite protests from the opposition, have also armed Tejashwi Yadav with a campaign speech to target what he calls an “anti-farmer” government. This morning, he drove a tractor in a protest to emphasize the point.
Another issue that has been drawn into Bihar politics is the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, a promising young Bollywood star who was from Bihar. The Nitish Kumar government, including the BJP, takes credit for pushing the investigation into the IWC, which it claims will guarantee justice for a “beloved son of Bihar.”
In the national elections last year, the Nitish Kumar-BJP-Paswan combo won 39 of the 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar, demolishing the opposition led by Tejashwi Yadav and gaining a morale boost ahead of the state elections.
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