As the first phase of polling across 71 constituencies of the Bihar Assembly elections is underway, two Improvised explosive devices were recovered and defused by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from the Maoist-infested Aurangabad district’s Dhibra area. The IED was placed under a culvert and was recovered on time by the police. An investigation into the matter is underway. Earlier on Tuesday, two IEDs placed by the Maoists were also recovered in Imamganj area of Gaya district that were defused later by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Thereafter, an alert was sounded in all Maoist-affected areas.
It is to be noted that Bihar Assembly election is India’s first major elections since the beginning of the pandemic. Traditional forms of campaigning were suspended and virtual rallies were held initially. Polling stations and voting time have also been increased to avoid congestion. So far, 18.48 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 11 am and at least 2.14 crore voters are today deciding the fate of 1,066 candidates contesting for 71 seats.
The election campaign is gathering steam by the day with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing rallies in Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Patna on Wednesday. The respective areas will go to polls in the second phase which will be conducted on November 3. The Prime minister will also address rallies in Chapra, East Champaran, and Samastipur on November 1. The BJP has joined hands with Nitish Kumar, head of Janata Dal (United) to contest the Bohar polls. Jiten Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Mukesh Sahni are also a part of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar.
The Polling in Bihar is being held in three phases for a total of 243 seats. While 71 seats are going to polls on the first phase, the second phase will see voting on 94 seats on November 3, and the third phase for the remaining 78 will be on November 7. The Election Commission of India will declare the Bihar Assembly Election Results 2020 on November 10.