The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began on Nov 6, with over 37.5 million voters casting ballots in 121 of 243 constituencies across 45,341 polling stations, mostly in rural areas.
This phase is crucial for both Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-JD(U) alliance and the opposition Mahagathbandhan, which won 55 and 63 of these seats respectively in 2020.
Top contenders include the opposition’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha, and celebrities like Maithili Thakur and Khesari Lal Yadav.
The election, held amid opposition claims of voter roll manipulation denied by the BJP, will decide the future of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s alliance.
Counting is set for Nov 14.
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11 Aug 2023 7:55
