Bihar polls LIVE: Nitish Kumar slams RJD over its 15 years of misgovernance

Stay tuned for LIVE updates on Bihar election 2020

8:01 PM

Rahul Gandhi throws 'chai, pakoda' jibes at PM Modi at Bihar election rallies

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, throwing at him "chai and pakoda" jibes and accusing him of "not talking about" issues confronting India such as unemployment but speaking only about other countries.

 

On his second round of campaign in the ongoing state elections, Gandhi addressed two back to back rallies -- one at Valmiki Nagar in West Champaran and the other at Kusheswar Asthan in Darbhanga -- and also assailed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the issues of unemployment, migration and poverty.

 

At his first rally at Valmiki Nagar, the former Congress president once again criticised the three farm laws, the governments handling of the migrant crisis and demonetisation, and alleged Modi and Nitish "control the media". Gandhi said angry farmers in Punjab burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of Dusshera which "pained" him.

7:17 PM

52.24% voter turnout till 5 pm in Phase I of Bihar assembly polls, says CEC Sunil Arora

The voter turnout in the phase one of Bihar assembly polls was 52.24 per cent till 5 pm, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said on Wednesday. In a break from the past, the CEC attended the poll panel briefing here and made opening remarks. In the 2015 assembly polls, the turnout in the phase one was 54.94 per cent, he said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the corresponding turnout was 53.54 per cent, he said.

 

A total of 71 assembly constituencies of Bihar went for polls on Wednesday in the first phase of three-phase elections amid tight security and with COVID-19 guidelines in place.

 

The polling began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm. Of the nearly 2.15 crore electors eligible to exercise the franchise, 1.12 crore are male, 1.01 crore female and 599 are categorised as third gender, according to data provided by the Election Commission.

7:01 PM

52.24% voter turnout till 5 pm in Phase I of Bihar assembly polls, says CEC Sunil Arora

6:47 PM

Bihar polls: DM asks RO to enquire after BJP minister wears mask with party symbol to polling booth

Bihar Minister and BJP leader Prem Kumar on Wednesday arrived at a polling booth in Gaya to cast his vote wearing a mask with his party's symbol printed on it. Prem Kumar rode a cycle on his way to the polling booth.

 

District Magistrate Gaya has taken suo moto cognizance after media showed visuals of Minister Prem Kumar at the polling booth wearing the BJP symbol. The DM has asked the Returning Officer to enquire. If found to be true, the Returning Officer will be filing an FIR for violating the model code of conduct against Prem Kumar under Kotwali police station.

 

Over 48 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 5 pm in the first phase of Bihar Assembly polls on Wednesday. The Election Commission (EC) informed that in 31,371 polling stations in Bihar, 41,689 ballot units, 31,371 control units and 31,371 VVPATs have been deployed. Polling for the second phase to take place on November 3 and for the third phase on November 7. The counting of votes will be done on November 10.

6:12 PM

51.8% polling in Bihar elections till 5 pm in Phase 1, compared to 54.9% in 2015: NDTV

6:11 PM

Assembly Election 2020 LIVE: Bihar sees 51.90% turnout till 5 pm

Bihar saw 51.90 per cent voter turnout till 5.30 pm in the first phase of assembly polls on Wednesday. According to Election Commission data, the highest turnout was in Jamui district at 57.41 per cent followed by Kaimur at 55.95 per cent and Lakhisarai at 55.44 per cent. The polling percentage was 52.16 per cent in Bhagalpur, 54.71 per cent in Gaya 49.39 per cent in Rohtas and 53.84 per cent in Buxar, caccording to a PTI report.

 

Munger (43.64 per cent) recorded the lowest voter turnout till as per data from the Election Commission's Voter Turnout app.

 

Bihar is witnessing a keen contest between the ruling JDU-BJP alliance, grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others), third front with RLSP leader Upendra Kushwaha as its chief ministerial candidate and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly. Elections will decide if Nitish Kumar will win a fourth term as Chief Minister.

 

Voting began in 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of polls at 7 am. This is the first election in the country being held amid COVID-19 pandemic.

5:57 PM

Voter turnout of 51.68% recorded till 5 pm in first phase of Bihar Polls: Election Commission of India

5:46 PM

Modi will make Bihar 'developed' state if people vote NDA to power: CM Nitish Kumar

Bringing the 'Modi factor' to the fore of the poll campaign, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday devoted his speech at a BJP rally here to development works undertaken by the prime minister for Bihar and said Narendra Modi will make it a "developed" state if the ruling NDA is voted back to power. Lavishing praise on Modi, Kumar referred to a slew of projects to assert that the people of Bihar can never forget what he has done for the state.

 

"Listening to his (Modi's) appeal, if you give the NDA one more chance to work in the state, then you take it for sure that he will transform it into a developed state. Bihar with march ahead," he said.

 

Locked in a keen electoral battle with the RJD-led opposition amid a perceived anti-incumbency against Kumar's nearly 15-year tenure as chief minister, the National Democratic Alliance is banking strongly on the 'Modi factor' to help it romp home.

5:34 PM

Small shopkeepers, youths, farmers angry with Modi and Nitish: Rahul Gandhi

5:01 PM

Bihar records 46.29% turnout till 3 PM in first phase of assembly polls

Over 46 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 3 PM in the first phase of Bihar assembly polls on Wednesday, the Election Commission said in its provisional data. A total of 71 assembly segments of the state's 243 constituencies are voting in the first phase in which nearly 2.15 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of over 1,000 candidates.

 

With the progress of time, voters turnout at booths has been increasing at several places notwithstanding raging coronavirus cases in the state. As per the provisional voter turnout data updated by the Election Commission at 3 PM, 46.29 per cent of the total electorates have exercised their franchise.

 

The 71 constituencies are spread across 16 districts. The maximum 49.84 per cent turnout has been recorded in Lakhisarai, followed by Buxar (48.91 per cent), Kaimur (49.26 per cent), Banka (47.44 per cent), Patna (45.77 per cent) and Bhagalpur (45.51 per cent) among others.

4:34 PM

Prime Minister's effigies burnt on Dussehra, not of 'Ravan': Rahul Gandhi

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were burnt in Punjab on Dussehra, and not that of 'Ravan'. He said that burning the effigy of the Prime Minister was sad, but the youth are angry with him.

 

Addressing an election meeting in Valmikinagar, Rahul praised Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, while targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

 

Rahul said that the goal of lockdown and demonetisation was the same. He said that in demonetisation, Modi took money out of your pocket and gave it to five big industrialists of the country and during the lockdown the business of small and medium scale businessmen came to a halt while the debts of the industrialists were waived.

 

Raising the issue of the new agricultural laws, Rahul said that effigies of 'Ravan' are usually burnt on Dussehra, but this time in Punjab the effigies of the Prime Minister and industrialists were burnt. He said, "It is sad, but it is happening because the farmer is upset, the youth is angry."

4:26 PM

Bihar Polls: 'Darkness of lantern era over', PM Narendra Modi to cheering Patna crowd

Prime Minister Narendra Modi raked up Bihar's past to project its future in his Patna rally, which was his third on Wednesday. He said, the days of the lantern were over, referring to better electric supply, as part of his 'vikas' agenda; at a metaphoric level, it was also a political dig, given the main opposition RJD's electoral symbol is a lantern.

 

"Atal ji(former Prime Minister) used to say that in Bihar in-bound supply of electricity is less while it vanishes more. The darkness of the lantern era is now over. Bihar's aspirations now are of continued electricity supply, of LED bulbs," said Modi sharing the stage with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the crowd cheered for the PM and chanted his name.

 

This is not the first time he used the phrase 'era of lantern'. Earlier, at a rally in Sasaram, the PM, in what seemed to be an effort to introduce first-time voters of Bihar to a bygone era, had said, "The need for lanterns in today's Bihar is over. Today every poor household in Bihar has an electricity connection, there is light."

 

The strategy of PM's speeches today has been simple - highlight Bihar's past to question Bihar's future.

3:59 PM

Bihar election 2020 LIVE updates: 46.29% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

3:45 PM

PM does not talk about unemployment in his speeches: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he talks about other countries in his speeches but not about the problems facing India such as unemployment. Gandhi, who arrived in West Champaran district for his second round of campaigning in the ongoing state elections, also attacked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over unemployment and the issue of migration.

 

Addressing his rally at Valmiki Nagar, the former Congress president said he was pained to see that Prime Minister Modis effigy was burnt in Punjab on the occasion of Dusshera, and added that it reflected the "anger" of youths and farmers.

 

"Youths and farmers of Punjab and Bihar and youths of Uttar Pradesh are angry that our PM keeps making speeches with Bihar Chief Minister and talks about other countries, but not the problems confronting our country such as unemployment," he said. READ ON...

 

 

3:37 PM

Like you saved yourself from Covid-19 with mask, vote to save Bihar from becoming 'bimar': PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that just like the people of the state can save themselves from COVID-19 with a mask, similarly with a single vote they can save Bihar from becoming "bimar" (sick).

 

"Just like you can save your self from COVID-19 with a mask, similarly with a single vote you can save Bihar from becoming 'bimar'," said PM Modi while addressing a public rally in Patna.

 

"In the last decade and a half, Bihar has strongly stepped up the move from misrule to good governance under the leadership of Nitishji. Due to the efforts of the NDA government, Bihar has come a long way from inconvenience to convenience, from darkness to light, from distrust to trust, from kidnapping of industries to opportunities,"

 

The Prime Minister further said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to say that the definition of electricity in Bihar is that the connection here is mostly out of the place. The darkness of the lantern period has now ended in the state, he added.