Voting has ended for the first phase of assembly elections in Bihar. Till 5 pm, over 51 percent voter turnout was recorded.
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Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 Phase 1 Voting Live News Updates: Voting Ends For First Phase of Bihar Assembly Polls, 51% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 5 PM
The electoral battle today marks the first phase of assembly elections in Bihar. A total of 71 seats, spread over 16 districts, are being contested. 42 candidates of the RJD, 41 of the LJP, 35 of the JD(U), 29 of the BJP and 20 of the Congress party are in the fray. Stay tuned here for the latest updates.
28 Oct, 17:56 (IST)
A total of 51 percent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm.
28 Oct, 16:09 (IST)
A total of 49.29 percent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm.
28 Oct, 15:08 (IST)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) files complaint to Election Commission (EC) against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his tweet posted today asking for votes in the first phase of Bihar Elections from voters today.
28 Oct, 14:04 (IST)
Bihar Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi casts his vote at a polling booth in Gaya during the first phase of state assembly elections. "Out of 71 seats in phase-1, NDA will comfortably win around 50 seats," he said.
28 Oct, 14:04 (IST)
Bihar Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi casts his vote at a polling booth in Gaya during the first phase of state assembly elections. "Out of 71 seats in phase-1, NDA will comfortably win around 50 seats," he said.
28 Oct, 13:55 (IST)
Voter turnout of 33.10 percent recorded till 1 pm in the first phase of #BiharPolls. Over 2.14 crore voters are today deciding the fate of 1,066 candidates contesting for 71 seats.
28 Oct, 13:25 (IST)
You can imagine what will happen to the funds for #COVID19 if they come to power... What else can people of Bihar expect from the 'Yuvraj' (prince) of 'Jungle Raj', given their past record. You know them better than I do: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Muzaffarpur.
28 Oct, 12:07 (IST)
Bihar: Differently-abled voters queue up outside a polling booth in Jahanabad district to cast their vote during the first phase of state assembly elections.
28 Oct, 11:56 (IST)
Voter turnout of 18.48% per cent recorded till 11 am in the first phase of Bihar Polls.
28 Oct, 11:01 (IST)
Voting underway in Bihar's Sasaram for the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections. Voters undergo temperature check & hand-sanitisation in a polling booth decorated with balloons.
28 Oct, 10:55 (IST)
Bihar: Voters of Balgudar village in Lakhisarai district boycott elections, booth number 115 wears a deserted look. "Villagers are not voting as they're protesting against the construction of a museum on a playground," says Booth No. 115 Presiding Officer Mohammad Ikramul Haq.
28 Oct, 10:44 (IST)
Bihar Minister and BJP leader Prem Kumar arrive at a polling booth in Gaya to cast his vote wearing a mask with his party's symbol.
28 Oct, 10:36 (IST)
BJP wants to keep 'Chirag' in their hand to light up their home & burn down Nitish Ji's house.
28 Oct, 10:26 (IST)
Total voting at 6.74% in 37 out of 71 constituencies till 9 am. The first phase of Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 is taking place today by following precautions amid coronavirus pandemic.
28 Oct, 09:32 (IST)
Bihar Minister Prem Kumar rides a cycle on his way to the polling booth to cast his vote, in Gaya.
28 Oct, 09:26 (IST)
5% voter turnout recorded till 8 am in the first phase of Bihar Elections 2020.
28 Oct, 08:47 (IST)
Bihar: Voting at polling booth no. 170 in Jehanabad delayed after a glitch was detected in EVM.
28 Oct, 08:33 (IST)
I appeal to all voters to participate in this festival of democracy while taking precautions against #COVID19, tweets BJP President JP Nadda. Polling for the first phase of #BiharElections is underway.
28 Oct, 08:00 (IST)
I urge all voters to ensure their participation in this festival of democracy while taking precautions against COVID 19, tweets PM Narendra Modi Polling for the first phase of Bihar Elections is underway.
Patna, October 28: The assembly elections in Bihar, considered as the first major poll battle since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, began in the state today. A total of 71 seats are being contested in the first phase of elections. The poll-bound constituencies are spread across 16 districts of the state. A total of 2.14 crore voters are eligible to register their mandate today. Stay tuned above for the all the voting related updates.
Out of the total electorate who can vote today, 1.01 crore were identified as female voters, whereas, 599 are from the third gender. The voters will be deciding the fate of 1,066 candidates, who are in the fray today from the 71 vidhan sabha segments. Here's How to Find Your Polling Booth, Search Name in Voters List & Step by Step Guide on How to Download Voter Slip.
The total number of candidates include 952 male and 114 female MLA aspirants. The constituency of Gaya Town witnesses the maximum candidature, with a total of 27 candidates in contest. The minimum number of candidates, 5, are in the fray from Katoria seat in banka district.
From the smooth conduct of phase 1 polls, the Election Commission of India has earmarked 31,380 polling booths. Among them, around 6,000 were marked as sensitive or highly sensitive, with several of them facing the threat of left-wing extremism.
Among constituencies that are naxal-affected include Rohtas, Kaimur, Jahanabad, Bhojpur, Gaya, Nawada, Nalanda and Munger. The polling period in these constituencies will be curtailed till 5 pm. In rest of the seats, voting is allowed till 6 pm -- an additional hour reserved for COVID-19 patients. The starting time of polls is same as 7 am.
Key candidates in the fray for round one of assembly polls includes nearly half of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Cabinet. Incumbent ministers Krishnandan Verma, Prem Kumar, Jay Kumar Singh, Santosh Kumar Nirala, Vijay Sinha and Ram Narayan Mandal would be in the contest today.
Among other key candidates include former CM and HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, who would be contesting from his incumbent seat of Imamganj against RJD veteran and former MLA Udit Narayan Chaudhary. 27-year-old Commonwealth Gold Medalist shooter Shreyasi Singh, who is contesting on BJP ticket from Jamui seat, is also a key candidate to watch out. She is up against sitting RJD MLA Vijay Prakash.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2020 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).