Canvassing ends for Bihar final phase polls; 3.7 cr voters to seal fate of 1,302 leaders

Campaigning for the second and last phase of polls scheduled on November 11 came to an end on Sunday, bringing to a close a nearly month-long fierce battle of words and nerves among rivals vying for power in Bihar. At stake are 122 seats spread across 20 districts of Bihar. The results will be declared on November 14.

Finishing touches were given to the blitzkrieg on the closing day by Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul addressed rallies in Kishanganj and Purnea districts in the Seemanchal region, which has a sizeable population of Muslims. At a rally, he said, “PM Modi, Shah and the EC have no replies to our ‘vote chori’ allegations… they will eventually get caught, as the truth is now out in front of people.”

Shah, who addressed rallies in Sasaram and Arwal, charged the INDIA bloc with trying to build a “corridor for infiltrators”, unlike PM Modi, who wanted to “set up an industrial corridor”.

Meanwhile, there are 1,302 candidates in this phase whose fate will be decided by over 3.7 crore voters. They will cast their votes in 45,399 polling booths. What makes the polling more challenging than the first phase is that several borders, including Nepal, UP, Jharkhand and West Bengal, have to be sealed. Bihar DGP Binay Kumar said additional security, including 150 more companies of Central forces, had been deployed. “The vigilance will be tighter than the first phase,” he said.

The areas going to polls on November 11 include Seemanchal, which has a dense Muslim population and where the AIMIM has fielded most of its candidates. The phase also covers the Kosi region, which has a large EBC population, and parts of Mithilanchal, where PM Modi and Shah were seen sporting paag, its traditional headgear, during canvassing. It also includes the Champaran region, where all campaigners invoked Mahatma Gandhi. Unlike the first phase, where the Mahagathbandhan had to defend most seats, in the second phase the onus is on the NDA. In the 2020 Assembly polls, the NDA won 70 of these seats, while the Mahagathbandhan won 50.

In this phase, of all NDA candidates, 53 are from the BJP, 44 JD(U), 15 Lok Janshakti Party of Chirag Paswan, four RLD and six HAM. The fate of several ministers close to Nitish Kumar, including Bijendra Yadav, Nitish Mishra, Neeraj Kumar Bablu, Renu Devi and Lesie Singh, will be decided.

In the Mahagathbandhan, the RJD has 72 candidates, the Congress 37, the VIP 10 and other allies have four. The fate of state Congress president Rajesh Ram, Congress Legislative Party leader Shakeel Ahmad, former Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary and CPI-ML leader Mehmood Alam will also be decided.

The NDA’s campaign featured a galaxy of leaders headed by PM Narendra Modi, who visited Bihar almost every day since November 6 to address two mega rallies each day. Others included Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, MP CM Mohan Yadav, BJP president JP Nadda, who studied in Patna, Assam CM Himanta Sarma, Union minister Chirag Paswan and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The core themes remained constant: stopping the return of “jungle raj,” promises of industrialisation, creation of one crore jobs in Bihar and the issue of infiltration. The pitch on infiltration grew sharper as the election entered regions with significant Muslim populations. What has changed is that the BJP is now stating more clearly that Nitish Kumar will become CM again if the NDA wins.

The Mahagathbandhan’s top leadership -- Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge -- campaigned intensely for the second phase. However, Tejashwi Yadav shouldered most of the campaign burden for the alliance. Their issues remained unchanged: Nitish Kumar being controlled by the Centre, government jobs for every family, and more industries and healthcare facilities.

In the first phase, voter turnout reached a historic high of over 65 per cent. Both sides claimed victory. PM Modi, in his speeches, urged voters to surpass the first phase turnout. One concern within the Mahagathbandhan is the growing closeness between Tej Pratap Yadav and BJP leader Manoj Tiwari -- they are often seen chatting at airports while waiting for their helicopters -- and the fact that Tej Pratap has been given Y-plus security cover by the Centre.