The second and last round of the Bihar Assembly elections came to an end on Sunday with heated verbal exchanges between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Mahagathbandhan. Both alliances took their final charge to influence voters before polling, which is scheduled to be held by November 11, the culmination of a high-voltage political battle all over the state.
The second phase includes 122 assembly constituencies that represent 20 districts with some of the most important battlegrounds like Patna, Nalanda, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga. There are 1,302 candidates fighting in this phase, which will act decisively in deciding who will make up the 243-member legislative assembly in Bihar.
The NDA also gave its last blitz with the speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, centred on governance, development, and stability of the current government. During rallies in Muzaffarpur and Begusarai, PM Modi urged people to vote out dynasty politics and re-elect the NDA to carry on with development. Similar sentiments were echoed by Nitish Kumar, who pointed out that his government had been working on the issues of education, infrastructure and law and order.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Mahagathbandhan coalition of the RJD, Congress, and Left parties, Tejashwi Yadav, stepped up his attack on the ruling coalition. He made allegations that the NDA was not addressing the issue of unemployment and increased prices. “People are tired of promises. This time, Bihar will vote for change and opportunity, he said in his last rally at Patna.
The last phase of the campaign was marked by heated words between the leaders of the two camps, with each accusing the other of corruption, bad management, and lack of faithfulness to the people. The stressful mood could be attributed to the level of stakes in the match, and both alliances were sure of victory.
The Election Commission has put elaborate security measures to ensure peaceful polling in all the constituencies. It will deploy more than 1.5 lakh security officers to observe sensitive polling stations, CCTV and drone surveillance will be performed.
Bihar is now in the critical phase of the pre-voting silence with the curtains of the campaign cut. According to political observers, this stage might swing the political table in the state because there are a number of heavyweight candidates in the field.
Both phases will be counted, and on November 14, we will have the result of whether the NDA will continue to rule or the Mahagathbandhan will have a comeback to the dynamic political fray in Bihar.
