Bihar votes for 2nd and final phase after suicide bombing near Red Fort

Patna: A day after a suicide blast near Red Fort that claimed nine lives, voting is underway for 122 constituencies in Bihar in the second and final phase of the high-stakes assembly polls on Tuesday morning, amid tight security arrangements, an official said.

The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged electors to exercise their franchise in the final phase of polling and set a new voting record.

"Today marks the second and final phase of voting in the Bihar assembly elections. I urge all voters to participate enthusiastically and set a new voting record. I especially urge my young friends from the state, who are voting for the first time, to not only cast their votes themselves but also inspire others to do so," the PM said on X.

Kumar said voting is "not only our right, but also a responsibility".

"I appeal to voters to exercise their right to vote in the second phase of the Bihar assembly elections," he posted on the social media platform.

The districts where voting is going on include West and East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj, all sharing borders with Nepal.

Most of these districts fall in the Seemanchal region, which has a high concentration of Muslim population, making it a high-stakes battle for both the INDIA bloc, which banks on the support of the minority community, as well as the ruling NDA, which alleges that the opposition is “protecting infiltrators”.

For the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc, the final round of polling is being seen as a crucial test to retain the support of various groups with complex caste and community dynamics.

In this phase, 3.7 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,302 candidates, including several ministers in the Nitish Kumar government.

Bihar recorded the "highest ever" voter turnout of over 65 per cent in the polling across 121 constituencies in the first phase of the assembly elections on November 6. Votes of both phases will be counted on November 14.

Prominent candidates in the second phase include Bijendra Prasad Yadav, a veteran JD(U) leader and the most senior member of the state cabinet, who seeks to retain his Supaul seat for a record eighth term.

Similar is the case of his cabinet colleague Prem Kumar, who belongs to the BJP and is trying his luck from Gaya Town, which he has won seven times, on the trot, since 1990.

Other ministers whose electoral fates are on stake include BJP’s Renu Devi (Bettiah) and Neeraj Kumar Singh 'Bablu' (Chhatapur), and JD(U)’s Leshi Singh (Dhamdaha), Sheela Mandal (Phulparas) and Zama Khan (Chainpur).

Katihar district is home to Balrampur and Kadwa assembly seats, where a hat-trick is being aimed at by Mehboob Alam and Shakeel Ahmed Khan, respectively, the legislative party leaders of CPI(ML) Liberation and the Congress.

The second and final phase is also being seen as a veritable test of strength for minor NDA partners Hindustani Awam Morcha, headed by Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha, both of which have got six seats each.

All six seats contested by HAM are going to the polls in the second phase.

Candidates of the RLM, which was floated barely a couple of years ago and has no representation in the state legislature, include Kushwaha’s wife Snehlata and his most trusted aide Madhaw Anand, who are making their debut from Sasaram and Madhubani, respectively.

Four of the six candidates fielded by the party are contesting the polls in the second phase.