Bihar to start counting votes as Tejashwi Yadav-led Grand Alliance projected to win

Officials and volunteers will on Tuesday start counting thousands and thousands of votes within the high-stakes Bihar meeting elections to the 243-member home, with a coalition led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Tejashwi Prasad Yadav projected to have an edge over chief minister Nitish Kumar. These votes will probably be counted at 55 centres, up from 38 through the Lok Sabha polls final 12 months, throughout 38 districts the place the result will determine the destiny of the Nitish Kumar authorities that has helmed the state for greater than a decade. The vote depend will start at 8am and outcomes are prone to be clear later within the day.

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The Election Commission of India has mentioned it’s ensuring the counting course of is held easily. Bihar’s chief electoral officer HR Srinivasa has mentioned that tons of of personnel of central armed police forces have been deployed on the sturdy rooms, the place the digital voting machines (EVMs) have been saved for the reason that completion of voting, in addition to the halls the place they are going to be unsealed Tuesday morning after counting of postal ballots will get over.

Most exit polls have predicted an finish for the ruling Janata Dal(United) or JD(U)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mix and a convincing victory for the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) led by the RJD’s 31-year-old chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav.

Political heavyweights, bahubalis and debutants

Leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which consists of the BJP, the JD(U), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), are going through a tricky contest from candidates from the opposition coalition of the Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance. The Mahagathbandhan contains the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress and Left events. This 12 months, the NDA is with out Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party in addition to Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, who left the alliance citing variations with Nitish Kumar and his celebration.

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Nitish Kumar, who has been Bihar chief minister for greater than 14 years, gained the 2015 meeting election together with the RJD however switched sides in 2017 when he left the Grand Alliance and joined the BJP-led NDA. Nitish Kumar had then mentioned that corruption circumstances towards deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav have been his primary cause behind leaving the Grand Alliance.

There are different coalitions within the race on this Bihar Assembly Election 2020. Nominees of the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA), an alliance of Jan Adhikar Party (JAP), Azad Samaj Party, the Bahujan Mukti Party (BMP) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), are additionally within the fray. The Grand Democratic Secular Front (GDSF) of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Janwadi Party (Socialist) and Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is one other contender within the Bihar meeting polls this 12 months.

Also Read: What to search for within the Bihar ballot outcomes at present

Among Bihar’s 243 meeting constituencies, probably the most keenly watched will probably be Raghopur seat in Vaishali district from the place Tejashwi Yadav is in search of re-election. Raghopur has been previously represented by his dad and mom Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi each former chief ministers. Nitish Kumar is a member of the legislative council and has not contested the meeting election this 12 months.

Another seat will probably be Hasanpur in Samastipur district the place Tejashwi’s elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, is contesting from. Tuesday’s counting may even determine the political destiny of almost a rating of ministers. Prominent amongst them are Nand Kishore Yadav in Patna Sahib, Pramod Kumar in Motihari, Rana Randhir in Madhuban, Suresh Sharma in Muzaffarpur, Shrawon Kumar in Nalanda, Jai Kumar Singh in Dinara and Krishnanandan Prasad Verma in Jehanabad.

The destiny of “bahubalis” or leaders recognized for strong-arm techniques may even be keenly watched. Anant Singh from Mokama and Reetlal Yadav from Danapur, who’re are contesting on RJD tickets, are amongst these criminal-turned-politicians within the state.

There are a number of debutants who’re attempting their luck on this Bihar meeting elections. In Bankipur, Congress’ ballot debutant Luv Sinha, who’s the son of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, faces four-time sitting BJP legislator Nitin Nabin. Other candidates within the fray are The Plurals Party chief Pushpam Priya and Independent candidate and Oxford University academician Manish Barriarr.

Also Read: Nitish Kumar or Tejashwi Yadav? Verdict day in Bihar

It may revive the fortunes of the three Left events, the CPI, CPI-M and CPI-ML, which have did not register themselves within the electoral scene within the final twenty years.

Pandemic shadow

Officials of the election fee and people of district administrations should persuade supporters of political events from crowding the counting centres amid the coronavirus pandemic. Prohibitory orders may even be put in place outdoors the counting centres to stop individuals from gathering in massive numbers, officers have mentioned.

“Election Commission gave 19 companies of paramilitary forces to guard strongrooms. They are the innermost core of counting centres’ security. There are 59 companies of paramilitary forces to maintain general law and order in the state. The inner core is being guarded by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), then there is the Bihar Military Police (BMP) and then the district police,” Bihar’s chief electoral officer HR Srinivasa mentioned on Monday.

“Inside counting centres, there is 24X7 surveillance by CCTVs and strong rooms have been locked and controlled by the paramilitary force. Candidates are allowed to sit outside counting centres to keep a watch and given live feed. Everybody who visits the counting centre then we have kept a logbook. Highest care has been taken so that counting centre is safe,” he had added.

Jitendra Kumar, the extra director normal of police (headquarters), mentioned Bihar Military Police and native police may even chip in whereas senior officers will hold a watch by means of show screens related to CCTV cameras put in on the counting centres.

The Congress celebration has directed its senior leaders to be of their place in all of the 38 districts and hold an in depth watch over the EVMs saved within the strongrooms for relying on Tuesday apprehending that rivals would possibly take pleasure in “foul play”. The celebration has despatched senior leaders, together with normal secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala and Avinash Pande, chairperson of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee’s screening panel, to Patna.

(With company inputs)