Bihar: Highest-ever voter turnout of 66.14 pc recorded in phase 2

In the high stake second and final phase of assembly elections, Bihar recorded its highest-ever voter turnout of 66.14 per cent, provisionally, at close of polling in the second and final phase of the high-stakes. The voting sealed the fate of 1,302 candidates, including a dozen sitting ministers. The first phase, held on 6 November, saw a record 65 per cent voter turnout. The results will be declared on 14 November. Voting will continue until 6:00 pm. As per information, Kishanganj recorded the highest polling percentage so far at 76.26, followed by adjoining Katihar (75.23) and Purnea (73.79), Supaul (70.69) and Araria (67.79).

As many as 37 million voters, including 17.4 million women, were eligible to vote on Tuesday, the poll panel said. Voting is being held at 45,399 polling stations. Of the 122 seats that went to polls today, the Mahagathbandhan had won 49 seats, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 66 seats in the 2020 assembly elections. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM had won five seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and an Independent won one each in 2020.

The main contest in Bihar is between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition’s Mahagathbandhan alliance. The ruling NDA comprises of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (United), among other parties. The Mahagathbandhan, or the Grand Alliance, comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress as its main parties. Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party and Asaduddin Owais's AIMIM are also in the fray. The MIM won five seats in 2020 in Seemachal, the region voting in the second phase.