Bihar Polls: Campaign Ends; Nitish Throws Final Card, Says it’s His ‘Last Election’

Dhamdaha: As campaigning ended on Thursday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is seeking a fourth term, declared that the Assembly polls underway in the state were his “last”.

Campaign ended on Thursday for the third and final phase of Bihar Assembly elections in which 2.35 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of more than 1,200  candidates, including the Speaker and some members of the state cabinet.

Addressing a poll rally in Purnea district,  Nitish Kumar said: "Today is the last day (of campaign for the final phase of Assembly election). Polling will take place the day after tomorrow. This is my last election."  

Tejashwi Yadav, the opposition Grand Alliance's chief ministerial contender, has often claimed Kumar was "tired".

The 69-year-old Nitish Kumar has ruled the state for nearly 15 years and served as a Union minister quite a few times in the National Democratic Alliance government. He urged the electors to vote the NDA to power yet again.

Final Phase

The final phase of polling on Saturday will cover 78 constituencies spread across 19 North Bihar districts.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed rallies in remote districts of Araria and Saharsa. He said the coalition headed in the state by Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar was looking forward to meet the "aspirations" of people in the decade to follow, having fulfilled their "needs" in the preceding one.

Altogether 12 rallies were addressed by Modi, on whom the NDA is banking for performing well in the 243 Assembly constituencies across the state.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also addressed election meetings at Madhepura and Araria where he raised suspicions of poll rigging dubbing the EVMs as MVMs (Modi voting machines), drawing jeers from the Bharatiya Janata Party which claimed the Opposition leader had lost his nerves in the face of an impending defeat.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumars rallies continued to be in the news for unsavoury happenings. At an election rally in Madhubani, stones and onions were hurled towards the dais, evoking an angry retort from the incumbent "phenko, aur phenko" (carry on with your mischief).

Rashtriya Janata Dal’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav continued with his campaign, drawing enthusiastic crowds at his rallies, numerous in a day.

People also attended, in heavy numbers, rallies and road shows of Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan who has created a buzz by virtue of his strident criticism of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the gumption to go solo despite repeated claims of loyalty towards BJP.

The final phase covers the Seemanchal area of the state, densely populated and having a heavy concentration of Muslims.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who has joined a six-party coalition headed by RLSP president Upendra Kushwaha and including Mayawati’s BSP, urged the minorities to shun the Congress-RJD combine, blaming these parties for the “meteoric rise” of BJP and Modi.

Prominent among those who would be seeking to retain their seats in the final phase are Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and state cabinet ministers Suresh Sharma and Pramod Kumar.

Another candidate who has piqued curiosity is Subhashini Yadav, the Congress candidate from Bihariganj in Kishanganj district, better known as the daughter of veteran socialist leader and former Union minister Sharad Yadav.

(Two PTI reports have been combined and edited for this story)