(phographs by Imteyaz Ahmed)
Speed Post News Network
Patna : Electioneering for the 2nd phase of Bihar Assembly elections ended on November 1, 2020, clearing way for polling on November 3, 2020, in 94 assembly constituencies (ACs) spread across 17 districts. The last day of electioneering witnessed hectic canvassing with PM Narendra Modi addressing four rallies to mobilise support for NDA candidates, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is also in the fray in this phase, criss-crossing over a dozen venues.
According to the Election Commission of India, more than 2.85 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,463 candidates including 1,316 male, 146 female, and one transgender. The Election Commission has set up 41,362 booths at 18,823 polling stations. Maharajganj constituency has the maximum 27 candidates in this phase, while the minimum four are from Darauli constituency (SC), both in Siwan District in North Bihar.
The 94 constituencies going to poll on November 3 are located in 17 districts: West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Nalanda, and Patna.
The BJP’s charge was led by PM Modi, who addressed seven rallies over two days, including four on November 1. Several Union ministers including Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Giriraj Singh, and Anurag Thakur, besides senior party leaders such as BJP National President J P Nadda addressed campaign rallies. BJP leaders repeatedly raked up the Ram temple issues, Article 370, triple talaq and also prominently mentioned the Pakistani minister’s admission of his country’s involvement in the Pulwama attack of 2019 that had left 40 CRPF jawans dead. At a rally on October 28, PM Modi had targeted Grand Alliance’s chief ministerial face Tejaswi Yadav calling him “Jungle Raj Ke Yuvraj (the crown prince of jungle raj)”.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed two rallies for 2nd phase of elections where he cornered Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar over the issues of unemployment, migrant crisis, farm laws and sugar mills. He had said the prime minister talks about other countries in his speeches but not about the issues facing the nation such as unemployment. Tejaswi, in the meanwhile, intensified his campaign and addressed close to a dozen, or even more, rallies every day since the voting for phase 1 of election on October 28. He kept his focus on his promise of providing 10 lakh jobs.
Tejashwi’s attack drew stinging response from Nitish who tried to blunt his attack by comparing the law and order situation in Lalu-Rabri regime (1990-2005) with that under his 15 rule.
Among other prominent faces whose fate would be closed in EVMs in this phase are: BJP leader and Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav (Patna Sahib), JD(U) lawmaker and Rural Development Minister Shrawan Kumar (Nalanda), BJP MLA and Cooperative Minister Rana Randhir Singh (Madhuban), and JD(U) leader and state minister Ramsevak Singh (Hathua).
Also in the fray is Chandrika Roy, JD(U), father of Tej Pratap Yadav’s estranged wife Aishwarya Rai, who in her campaign has been highlighting the alleged “ill-treatment” meted out to her by RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family. This phase is also very crucial for Chirag Paswan- led Lok Janshakti Party which has fielded 52 candidates. The RJD has 56 candidates in the fray in this phase, the BJP 46, the JD(U) 43, the RLSP 36, and the Congress 24.