Election in Bihar 2020: The election is being held in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic and the Election Commission has drawn up elaborate safety protocols.bihar started voting today in a three-phase election – the first amid the coronavirus pandemic – which will decide if nitish kumar will win a fourth term as chief minister. Voting is taking place in 71 of the state’s 243 seats. Nitish kumar’s challenger is rjd’s tejashwi yadav, whose promise of 10 lakh jobs has proved to be a huge draw in the backdrop of the lockdown and widespread unemployment. The third factor in this election is chirag paswan, the son of the late lok janshakti party chief ram vilas paswan, whose rebellion against nitish kumar is believed by many to be backed by the bjp. The election commission has drawn up elaborate safety rules for voting in the shadow of covid.The Election Commission has issued detailed guidelines that include lowering the cap on voters for a polling booth from 1,600 to 1,000, staggering of polling hours and postal ballot facility for those aged above 80 or those infected. Electronic Voting Machines will be sanitised. Thermal scanners, hand sanitiser, soap and water will be made available for voters. The voting begins at 7 am.
The weeks-long campaign has been a clear indication of the increasing distance between the ruling allies – the BJP and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United. There has been little overlap and barring Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, no other BJP leader campaigned for the JDU. Posters and hoardings of neither party made any mention of the other.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his three rallies in the state so far, made only a cursory mention of Nitish Kumar, whom he and Amit Shah had accepted as the face of the NDA in Bihar. He had sought votes only for the NDA and made cursory references to Nitish Kumar towards the end of his speech, which had raised eyebrows.
The campaign also saw Tejashwi Yadav – the political heir of Lalu Yadav and the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the Left parties, come of age in terms of mass appeal. His rallies have been a packed and his party said the promise of providing 10 lakh jobs at his first cabinet meet has generated much excitement among the people. The 31-year-old RJD leader crafted his campaign around issues like jobs and unemployment, unlike his father who always championed the issue of dignity of castes.
The pressure on the ruling allies has been visible. While the Chief Minister, known for his calm exterior, has lost his temper on several occasions, the BJP, after repeatedly mocking the 31-year-old former Deputy Chief Minister for his jobs promise, included a promise of 19 lakh jobs in its election manifesto.Midway through the campaign, Chirag Paswan, who has been criticizing Mr Kumar, initially over his alleged lack of initiative in bringing home the migrants and then over a range of issues, rebelled against the leadership of Nitish Kumar and declared that his party will contest solo. He has also declared loyalty to the BJP and said he wants a BJP candidate for the top job. While the BJP made strong remarks, declaring that Nitish Kumar will remain their Chief Ministerial candidate and anyone not accepting his leadership will not be part of NDA in the state, it has not taken any action against him.
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