Bihar Elections: Large Number of Women, Youth Turn up to Vote Despite COVID Fear

Patna: Ignoring fear of COVID pandemic, more than 32% voter turnout was recorded till 1 p.m in the second phase of the Bihar Assembly polls on Tuesday, the Election Commission said in its provisional data.

A large number of women and youths, including many first-time voters, were seen standing in long queues outside polling booths. As per reports reaching here, the youth voters were vocal about “joblessness” and expressed views to support the party that will provide them employment and livelihood opportunities. In the past two weeks of election campaign in Bihar, the issue of berozgari  (unemployment) has emerged as a major agenda .

Enthusiastic youth turning to polling booths is widely seen as a signal of a change as they have been expressing their unhappiness and anger over the failure of the ‘double engine’ government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

A total of 94 Assembly seats of the state's 243 constituencies in 17 districts are voting in the second phase, in which nearly 2,86,11,164 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of over 1,463 candidates. Polling began at 7 a,m amid high security arrangements.

According to the official figures updated by the Election Commission at 1 p.m, 32.82% of the total electorate have exercised their franchise.

The maximum turnout of 41% (as of 1 p.m) has been recorded in Muzaffarpur, followed by 39.43% in West Champaran, 38.11% in Khagaria and 38.99% in Samastipur districts.

Prominent among those who voted today in Patna were Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is chief ministerial candidate of opposition Grand Alliance and his mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi. Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha cast his vote in Bankipur Assembly seat in Patna from where his son Luv Sinha is in the fray as a Congress candidate.

Union Minister of state for Home Affairs Nitayand Rai also cast his vote in Hajipur in Vaishali district.

In Begusarai district, former JNSU leader and CPI star campaigner, Kanhaiya Kumar, cast his vote in his native village.

However, guidelines issued by the ECI for safe conduct of the electoral exercise in view of the raging COVID-19 pandemic were openly violated. Voters in urban booths were seen wearing mask and keeping physical distance but in rural areas this was missing.

ADG police headquarters Jitendar Kumar said no incident of violence has been so far reported, except instances of minor clashes between rivals.

At some places, the electronic voting machines malfunctioned. Apart from that, it was a smooth exercise in a state notorious for election violence.

Officials said that voters in over a dozen villages boycotted polls over the lack of development.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed three election rallies on Tuesday in Assembly constituencies going to polls in the third and final phase on November 7. As usual, the PM skipped issues of joblessness, livelihood and reverse migration during lockdown and mainly tried to focus on ‘jungle raj’ 15 years ago.