Patna, Oct 28 (UNI) Amid tight security arrangements, polling for the first of three-phased Bihar Assembly Elections began at 7 AM in 71 seats where 2,14, 84, 787 electorates would be exercising their franchise to seal the fate of 1066 candidates including former Chief Minister Jeetan Ram Manjhi and former Speaker of Bihar Assembly Uday Narain Chaudhary.
Bihar is the first state in the country where elections are being held during Corona pandemic. Guidelines issued by Election Commission in view of Corona pandemic are being strictly followed. People were seen in long queues at polling stations, waiting for their turn to exercise the franchise.
Additional Chief Election Sanjay Kumar Singh said that elaborate security arrangement had been made to ensure free, fair and fearless polling. Paramilitary forces had been deployed at all 31, 380 polling stations, here added.
Mr Singh said altogether 114 women among a total of 1066 candidates are in the fray. A total number of 31380 EVMs and as many VVPats had been made available at booths to enable
electorate to exercise their franchise without any difficulty, he added.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is the CM face of NDA, who has been at the helm
of affairs since 2005 barring a period of few months from May 2014 to 2015 when Mr Jeetan Ram Manjhi was Chief Minister while Mr Tejaswi Prasad Yadav is the CM face of Grand Alliance. Both NDA and Grand Alliance are the main power contenders while RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha is leading a newly floated Grand Democratic Secularly Front (GDSF) and Jan Adhikar Party leader Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav has also floated a new front Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) comprising few smaller parties.
While NDA with its constituents of JD(U), BJP, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Vikassheel
Insan Party( VIP) has galvanised all its energy under the leadership of Mr Kumar, Grand Alliance compromising RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M), have solidly put their weights behind Tejaswi Prasad Yadav. Of the total 1066 candidates in the fray in the first phase of Bihar Assembly Elections, the ruling JD(U) has fielded 35 candidates followed by BJP which has fielded 29 candidates.
HAM and VIP have fielded 6 candidates and 1 candidate respectively. On the other hand, Grand Alliance constituents RJD has fielded 42 seats while Congress and CPI(ML) have fielded 21 and 8 seats respectively. LJP is contesting 41 seats, BSP- 27 seats and RLSP are contesting 40 seats.
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