The fourth phase of Assembly polls in Bihar being held on Monday for 42 seats in the state’s south-eastern and central parts are going to be a litmus test for the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP alliance government because of the undercurrents like the unresolved issue of land reforms, strong caste dynamics and wider options before the Muslims.
In the most elaborate security measures so far, 80,000 security personnel have been deployed on the ground while four BSF helicopters are in place for aerial surveillance during the polls in 10,716 booths spread across six districts — Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Bhagalpur, Khagaria, Munger, Banka, Jamui and Patna. Webcasting and direct monitoring of the voting process in about 350 highly sensitive booths would be conducted by the EC officials in Patna. Bihar DGP Neelmani said preventive action has been taken against 64,205 people in the six districts to ensure free and fair polls.
Voting in 10 Maoist-hit constituencies — Suryagarha, Tarapur, Jamalpur, Katoria (SC), Belhar, Sinkandra (SC), Jamui, Jhajha and Chakai — would be conducted from 7 am to 3 pm instead of the regular 7 am to 5 pm in the rest of the constituencies. The Lok Sabha bypoll in Banka is also being held simultaneously in this phase.
In the mostly multi-cornered contests in the 42 Assembly constituencies, over 1.03 crore registered voters, including 46.03 women voters, would choose from among 568 candidates, including 58 women. While JD(U) and ally BJP are contesting in 25 and 17 seats respectively, the RJD and ally LJP have fielded candidates in 26 and 16 seats respectively. The CPI(M-L) is contesting in 15 seats, the CPI in 13 and the CPI(M) in six seats. While the Congress has fielded candidates in all the 42 constituencies, the BSP is contesting in 40.
Regional heavyweights in the fray include LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan’s brother and the RJD-LJP’s deputy chief ministerial candidate Pashupati Kumar Paras (Alauli); BJP ministers Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Bhagalpur), Nand Kishore Yadav (Patna Sahib), Ramnarayan Mandal (Banka); JD(U) minister Damodar Raut; and deputy speaker of state Assembly Shakuni Choudhary of the RJD (Tarapur). Parveen Amanullah, daughter of noted Babri Masjid activist Syed Shahabuddin and wife of senior Bihar bureaucrat Afzal Amanullah, is contesting on a JD(U) ticket from Sahebpur Kamal.