69% voting in Bihar second phase, 76% in Muslim-majority Kishanganj

The second and final phase of polling for 122 of the 243 Assembly seats saw Bihar break its own record on Tuesday, witnessing a turnout of nearly 69 per cent.

Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Singh Gunjiyal said the state recorded a tentative 68.79 per cent voter turnout. “The percentage may rise as we are yet to receive data from several booths,” he said.

Gunjiyal said in both phases, the state had registered a turnout of 66.90 per cent compared to 57.29 per cent in 2020. The CEO said the second phase polling was peaceful and the 250 complaints they received were disposed of immediately. He said all booths were monitored through webcasting and since the code of conduct was imposed, around Rs 227 crore worth of liquor, drugs and cash were recovered.

The highest turnout was recorded in Muslim-dominated Kishanganj (76.26 per cent). All the 20 districts where the polling was conducted saw a voting percentage of more than 60 per cent, with four of them breaching the 70 per cent-mark.

As women voters could be seen outnumbering men in most booths, an elated Chief Minister Nitish Kumar paid a surprise visit to the JD(U) office and met party leaders, hinting at organisational changes after the declaration of results on November 14. The Nitish government has provided women with Rs 10,000 under Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana and also announced a substantial hike in various social security pension schemes.

The high polling percentage has been mainly attributed to three factors: a smaller voting list as the Election Commission deleted around 69 lakh names; polling held after Chhath festival when Bihar’s huge migrant population was home; and a large number of state residents this time returning home for the polling. Khagaria, Purnia, Katihar, Supaul and Sitamarhi, the belts from where 70 per cent of people work outside the state, voted in this phase.

Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor claimed the spike in voting was because the state people, who had been in search of an “alternative”, had found one in his Jan Suraaj Party.

There were over 3.7 crore voters in the second phase and the polling was largely peaceful. A few incidents of EVM malfunctioning and scuffle between rivals delayed the electoral process.

In Araria, the police had to intervene to settle a clash between BJP and Congress workers. In Hisua seat of Nawada district, BJP candidate Anil Singh was chased away by villagers who alleged he had done nothing for them in five years. Angry over poor civic amenities, around 15,000 voters boycotted polling in Bagaha. The administration had to maintain extra vigil in booths on the Nepal and other state borders.

Opposition INDIA bloc’s CM face Tejashwi Yadav thanked the voters saying he was “glad to see the record turnout”. “There is an undercurrent for change,” he said.

Union Minister Nityanand Rai thanked the people for “supporting the NDA”. “After the second phase, I have no doubt that we will be forming the government again and this time with a convincing margin,” he said.