2015 Bihar Assembly Election Phase II Friday Oct 16,2015

The 2015 Bihar vidhan sabha (state legislative assembly) elections are witnessing a grand political alignment, a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of the JD (U), RJD and Congress

They are pitted against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Lok Janashakti Party (LJP), Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular)

Other groups include the Samajwadi Secular Front including Samajwadi Party (SP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Jan Adhikar Party (JAP); and the left alliance, including the Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI(M), CPI(ML), Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) (Communist), All India Forward Bloc (FB) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)


Bihar is the third-largest state in India, home to 104 million people, sending 40 representatives to the Lok Sabha, third after U.P. (80) and Maharashtra (48)

The battle for Bihar enters into its second phase on Friday Oct 16,2015 with voters set to decide the fate of 456 candidates in 32 constituencies spread over six Naxal-hit districts -  Kaimur, Rohtas, Arwal, Jehanabad, Aurangabad and Gaya.,posing a big challenge to security forces.

The second phase polling constitutes a great challenge for the security personnel as the six districts are heavily affected by Naxalism. In view of the security concerns, voting time has been curtailed by one hour and two hours in as many as 23 Constituencies.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshamanan said that while voting would start at 7 AM in all 32 constituencues it would end at 3 PM in 11 constituencies and at 4 PM at 12 others. Only 9 seats would have scheduled voting from 7 AM to 5 PM

A total of 86,13,870 electors are expected to decide the fate of 456 candidates, 32 out of whom are women. There are 9,119 polling stations

The stakes are high for the anti-BJP alliance in this phase as most of the 32 seats had gone to JD(U) in the last elections.

In 2010, JD(U) had won 19 seats followed by BJP 10, RJD 2 and Independent 1. This time JD(U) and RJD are contesting 13 seats each, while Congress has its candidates in the remaining six.

From NDA, half of the seats in this phase are being contested by nominees of BJP's allies---LJP, HAM and RLSP

55% voter turnout in Phase II of Bihar polls

A total of 456 candidates, 32 out of whom being women, are in the fray in this phase. Polling took place in 9,119 polling stations where security cover was provided by 993 companies (one company comprising of 100 personnel) of central paramilitary forces and the state police.

 

 

 

The contest at Imamganj (reserved SC seat) would be keenly watched where former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM is locked in a straight contest with the Speaker of the outgoing assembly Uday Narain Chaudhary of JDU.Chaudhary is a five-term MLA from the seat.