Bihar Election Phase 2: High-Decibel Campaign Ends, Key Contestants and Constituencies To Watch Out For

The

high-decibel campaign for the second and final phase of the Bihar assembly elections has ended, bringing to a close a nearly month-long fierce battle of words and nerves among rivals vying for power in the state. Finishing touches were given to the blitzkrieg on the closing day by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Record Voting in First Phase of Bihar Polls

Bihar recorded the "highest ever" voter turnout of over 65 per cent in the first phase of polling across 121 assembly constituencies. According to the Election Commission of India, the first phase of Bihar assembly elections concluded peacefully "in a festive mood with the highest ever voter turnout of 64.66 per cent in the history of Bihar". Read More - Why Bihar’s Highest-Ever Voter Turnout Has Both NDA and Mahagathbandhan Confident of Win & What It Actually Means

122 Seats To Go To Polls On Tuesday - Key Candidates To Watch Out For

122 seats in Bihar will go to polls in the second phase on Tuesday, November 11. Among the significant seats going to the polls in this phase are Chakai, from where JD(U) minister Sumit Kumar Singh is seeking a re-election, BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh's Jamui, JD(U) minister Leshi Singh's Dhamdaha, and BJP minister Neeraj Kumar Singh's Chhatapur.Sumit Kumar Singh, currently serving as Bihar's Minister of Science and Technology, is seeking a reelection from the Chakai constituency. While the constituency had a history of alternate victories, Sumit Singh enjoys sizeable influence in the region. He had won the seat as a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha candidate in 2010 and had surprised everyone by winning from there as an independent. Shreyasi Singh, a gold medalist in shooting, is seeking reelection from the Jamui constituency on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. Shreyasi had won the Jamui seat in the last assembly elections by defeating RJD's Vijay Prakash. This time, the Mahagathbandhan has fielded Mohammad Shamshad Alam against Shreyasi Singh. Leshi Singh, a senior leader of Janata Dal (United), is contesting from Dhamdaha in Purnia district. Leshi Singh is a five-time MLA and currently serves as the Food and Consumer Protection Minister. Singh has also headed Bihar State Women's Commission and is the wife of the late Bhutan Singh. Neeraj Singh, the present Minister of Environment and Forest in the Bihar government, is contesting from Chhatapur. He is the cousin of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Security Tightened Ahead of 2nd Phase

Security has been beefed up across Bihar for the second phase of the assembly polls on November 11, with over 4 lakh personnel engaged in election duties. Voting will be held at 45,399 polling stations, including 40,073 in rural areas, across 122 assembly seats in the second and final round of polling.Around 500 companies (around 50,000) of the Central Armed Police Force had been engaged in pre-election duties in Bihar, and subsequently, 500 more companies of CAPF arrived in the state, official said.