The high-intensity Bihar Assembly polls will kick-start on Monday with over 1.35-crore voters to decide the fate of 583 candidates in the fray in 49 constituencies in the first phase wherein the Mahagathbandhan has greater stakes to defend in its keenly-fought contest with the NDA.
Of the 49 seats in 10 districts, 34 seats are currently held by the Mahagathbandhan parties with JD(U) holding 29 and the RJD four seats. The BJP had won 13 seats in the 2010 Assembly polls.
On the contrary, in the 2014 lok Sabha polls, the BJP had registered a lead in 20 of these 49 seats and its allies on 16. The RJD led on 10 seats
and the JD(U) and Congress on one each.
In most of the constituencies, the contest is direct between the NDA and Mahagathbandhan. The BJP is contesting 27 seats, lJP 13 and RlSP six seats while JD(U) is contesting 24, RJD 17 and Congress eight seats.
Political observers feel that the first phase of voting would set the trend for the coming phases as this phase is covering almost one-fifth of the total seats located in north and south central Bihar. They said that pattern in these constituencies will affect other segments too.
Among the important contenders in the first phase include Ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary in Sarairanjan (Samastipur) and Damodar Raut in Banka, former Speaker Sadanand Singh in Kahalgaon (Bhagalpur) and Bihar lJP president Pashupati Kumar Paras in Alauli (Khagaria).
Of the 10 districts where polling will be held on Monday at 13,212 polling centres, six are Naxal-infested with Jamui being the worst-hit and where special security and extensive patrolling by Central paramilitary forces and their deployment at polling stations have been ordered.
Bihar’s additional chief electoral officer R lakshmanan said that 7,384 polling stations have been identified as sensitive and another 2,255 as leftwing extremists affected.
Five helicopters would be used for air surveillance, he added. 1.55 lakh security personnel including Central forces have been deployed for poll duty.
For this phase, all the top leaders of NDA and Mahagathbandhan addressed hundreds of election meetings to galvanise support. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held 11 meetings, Amit Shah 23, Rajnath Singh 15, Ram Vilas Paswan 28, Sushma Swaraj five, Ananth Kumar nine and Jitan Ram Manjhi 42.
For the grand alliance candidates, the maximum number of 76 meetings was addressed by CM Nitish Kumar followed by RJD chief lalu Prasad who held 62 meetings. JD(U) president Sharad Yadav also addressed 14 meetings.
According to Election Commission sources, on the eve of the first phase of voting, the Income Tax authorities have informed the Commission that about Rs 19 crore has been seized. Of this, Rs 13.75 crore was seized in Muzaffarpur from four people and Rs 5 crore in Delhi from nine people. It is widely suspected that this money reaching through hawala operations was to be used in Bihar election.