The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to take place in three phases, starting on October 28. Results will be declared on November 10.
Bihar 2020 Election Live Updates: The election campaign in Bihar has so far been high-voltage, with the NDA looking to balance two heavyweights, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while the The opposition’s charge has been led by the young Tejashwi Yadav. (Click here to follow our full coverage of the Bihar surveys)
Kumar has repeatedly called on voters to remember the “days of the jungle raj” under Lalu Prasad, saying that only in the last 15 years under his command has the condition of Bihar’s roads, health infrastructure and education improved.
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On the other hand, Tejashwi Yadav, the leading ministerial candidate for the Mahagatbandhan, tried to strike a chord with voters, especially the youth, with a promise of 10 lakh of government jobs in the RJD manifesto. The massive turnout and enthusiastic response from the crowds at his rallies have come as a surprise to political observers, with many reading him more as anti-Nitish anti-concern than the appeal of Tejashwi and RJD. In an interview with the Indian Express, Tejashwi Yadav said that he plans to “build on the achievements of social justice” and also explained why his promise of employment is financially sustainable.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addresses an electoral rally in Bihpur, in the Bhagalpur district. (Twitter / RJDforIndia)
The Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) has largely kept its campaign restricted to local Bihar concerns, without responding to the BJP’s efforts to steer the discourse toward national issues.
Express interviews: Tejashwi Yadav | JP Nadda | Kanhaiya Kumar | KC Tyagi | Asaduddin Owaisi
Among the major political parties, Prime Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD (U) is competing in 35 out of 71 seats, followed by his ally BJP (29), while the opposition RJD has put forward its candidates in 42 and his partner in Coalition, Congress, is in the fray into 20 assembly segments.
Key players. Main Players: Sushil Kumar Modi | Jagadanand Singh | Pappu Yadav | Jitan ram manjhi
The Lok Janshakti Party, led by Chirag Paswan, is in the fray in 41 seats, including the 35 contested by JD (U), in keeping with the call given by the young party chairman, who recently retired from the NDA. in the state, to “oust” the prime minister from power.
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addresses a meeting during an electoral meeting, in the Muzaffarpur district (PTI)
Other prominent leaders who have campaigned in the state so far include Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani, Congress leaders Raj Babbar and Shatrughan Sinha, BSP Supreme Mayawati, and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Kanhaiya Kumar from the CPI also joined the campaign, mainly for candidates from left-wing parties. Kumar, in an interview, told Indian Express that the Bihar elections are not going to be one-sided and that there is a lot of anger, especially against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
During the campaign, many prominent leaders fell victim to the Covid-19 infection while campaigning. They included Senior Deputy Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and former Union Ministers Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.
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