Congress appoints Gehlot, Baghel, Adhir as senior observers for Bihar election

The Congress appointed senior leaders Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as AICC senior observers for the upcoming Bihar Assembly election on Saturday. “The Congress President has also approved the proposal for the appointment of 41 District Election Observers for the upcoming assembly election in Bihar, with immediate effect,” the party said in its official notification.

Bihar is likely to go to polls in multiple phases, following past electoral cycles. In 2020, voting was held across three phases: 71 constituencies on October 28, 94 on November 3, and 78 on November 7, with results announced on November 10. The 2015 elections were stretched across five phases.

The contest is expected to pit the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) against the Opposition INDIA bloc. The NDA, comprising BJP, JD(U), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), seeks another term under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The INDIA bloc, spearheaded by the Rashtriya Janata Dal with Congress and Left parties as allies, aims to oust the incumbent government.

In the 243-member House, NDA currently holds a majority with 131 seats — BJP (80), JD(U) (45), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (4), and Independents (2). The INDIA bloc holds 111 seats, comprising RJD (77), Congress (19), CPI(ML) (11), CPI(M) (2), and CPI (2).