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Summary of Bihar Phase-3 Election
October 29, 2015
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The 53.32% voter turnout in the
third phase of elections on October 28 was almost three per cent higher than
that registered in 2010 assembly elections as well as in the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections in these districts: Bhojpur, Buxar, Nalanda, Patna, Saran, and
Vaishali. However, the turnout in this phase for the 50 assembly seats –
highest number of seats going to polls thus far – was still comparatively
lesser than the average 55.67% turnout of voters in the first two phases of
polling. (57% in first phase and 55% in second phase).
Greater
Participation of Women
An important feature of Bihar
elections this time is larger participation of women in polling. Like in the
first two phases, this time too, the women voters outnumbered their male
counterparts with 54% women casting their votes as against 52.50% men. Still,
even here, the turnout of women voters was less than the average 57.95% in the
first two phases.
Among the six districts, Buxar
district recorded the highest 56.58% voter turnout in the third phase. This was
almost four per cent more than the 2010 figures. Buxar was followed by Vaishali
( 54.82%), Nalanda (54.11%), Bhojpur (53.30 %), Saran (52.50%) and Patna
(51.82%). What is significant is that all these districts saw an increase in
voting percentage as compared to the 2010 figures. Saran district, which has 10
assembly constituencies, witnessed 0.02% less turnout than what was during the
2014 Lok Sabha elections.
While fate of the Rashtriya Janata
Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav’s two sons, Tej Pratap and Tejaswi – both
contesting their maiden elections from Mahua and Raghopur assembly
constituencies respectively – were sealed in the ballot box, much is at stake
for the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP that’s contesting 34 of the 50 seats in this
phase. Its National Democratic Alliance partners are contesting only 16 seats
in this round.
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In the last assembly elections, the
NDA had swept the polls in the region winning 43 of the 50 seats while the
remaining seven had gone to the RJD. But political equations have drastically
changed this time. In 2010, the Janata Dal (United), then in alliance with the
BJP, had won 23 seats in the region and the BJP had won 20 seats. This time, it
will be determined who has the edge in the region following the BJP-JD(U)
split. With the JD(U) now a part of the grand alliance or Mahagathbandhan along
with the RJD and the Congress, they together have left no stone unturned to
campaign vigorously against the BJP-led NDA. In the process, they have targeted
the BJP’s poll mascot Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his development plank.
Criticism
of PM Modi and BJP’s Defense
The long intervening period between
the second and third phase of polling, due to the Navratri festival, saw a slug
fest of sorts between the two warring alliances where the Mahagathbandhan was
visibly on an offensive targeting the Prime Minister over a plethora of issues
that included the unfortunate Dadri killing, reservation issue, as well as the
issue of several writers returning their awards in the wake of the alleged
assault on freedom of expression and the murder of Kannada writer MM Kalburgi.
The BJP, though on a defensive, has
put up a brave front. Dismissing the Mahagathbandhan’s charge that the PM had
developed cold feet, Prime Minister Modi is campaigning aggressively and is
leading from the front by holding series of rallies in different
constituencies, and promising electricity in every village by 2019 and shelter
to all by 2022.
Unlike in the first two phases, the
BJP seemed to have evolved a specific strategy to counter the Mahagathbandhan’s
attack on it over reservation and communal intolerance. It is trying to turn it
into an opportunity to consolidate the Hindu votes. Consider Prime Minister
Modi’s statement during a recent election rally: “These leaders are making a
devious plan. They are conspiring to take away five per cent reservation of
dalits, mahadalits, backwards and extremely backwards and give it to a
particular community.”
BJP’s
Strategy to Woo Extremely Backward Class
As election is gaining steam, the
BJP’s strategy to woo voters, particularly the Extremely Backward Class (EBCs),
is becoming all too obvious. Just before the second round of elections, at
least two prominent BJP leaders – Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwary and
ex-Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz – had mentioned the name of prominent EBC
leader Dr. Prem Kumar as the party’s choice for the CM’s post (Shahnawaz had
later backtracked on his statement). Now, before the third phase of elections,
Modi invoked his own EBC status (His caste Ghanchi or Telis fall in the EBC
category in Bihar) to the EBC voters – “I come from an extremely backward class
and understand the pain of having been born to a poor woman…”
Modi had also sought to dispel
confusion over reservation – “The leaders of this ‘Mahaswarth’ (opportunistic)
alliance are trying to mislead the people on the issue of reservation … It is
clear through the discussion of our constitution makers that reservation cannot
be given on the basis of religion. The Supreme Court has said reservation
cannot be more than 50%. There is a cap…”, he had said at an election rally in
Buxar.
Whether such statements turn into
votes is something that is to be seen.
The polling was largely peaceful in
the third phase of elections in Bihar in face of large deployment of security
personnel and central paramilitary forces (CPMFs) at all polling stations. Five
drones were deployed at the Naxal-affected regions that went to polls. In all,
59 anti-social individuals were rounded off and 418 arms were seized.
Voters boycotted polls at four
polling centres: Amnaur and Parsa in Saran district, Barh in Patna district and
Rajpur (SC) in Buxar district in the third round.
It may be mentioned that fate of 808
candidates, including 71 women, were sealed in the contest during the third
phase.
- See more at:
http://www.elections.in/blog/summary-of-bihar-phase-3-election/#sthash.A4qVZyiq.dpuf
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