Bihar polls Phase 2: 1,302 candidates in fray for 122 Assembly seats on Nov 11

Patna, Nov 10: The second phase of polling for the Bihar Assembly elections will be held on Tuesday, with 1,302 candidates contesting across 122 constituencies.

Of these, 1,165 are men, 136 women, and one candidate identifies as third gender.

The main contest remains between the NDA and the Mahagatbandhan (Grand Alliance), though in several constituencies, the AIMIM and Jan Suraj Party are also in the fray.

Of the 122 seats, 101 are General, 19 reserved for Scheduled Castes, and two for Scheduled Tribes.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) said all arrangements are in place to ensure peaceful and smooth polling.

According to ECI data, this phase will see 3,70,13,556 registered voters, including 10,21,812 new electors.

Of these, 1,95,56,899 are male voters, with 5,28,954 newly enrolled, while 1,70,68,572 are female voters, including 4,92,839 new additions. The number of third-gender voters stands at 943, with 90 newly registered.

A total of 7,69,356 electors fall in the 18–19 age group, making them first-time Assembly voters.

For this phase, the ECI has set up 45,399 polling stations — 5,326 in urban areas and 40,073 in rural areas. Among these, 595 polling stations will be entirely managed by women, 91 by persons with disabilities (PwD), and 316 have been designated as model polling stations. All polling stations will be equipped with webcasting facilities.

The average number of electors per polling station is 815.

The constituencies going to the polls in this phase are spread across Bihar’s central, western, and northern regions.

Polling in this phase will be conducted across 20 districts, namely West Champaran, East Champaran, Supaul, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj, Katihar, Banka, Bhagalpur, Nawada, Jamui, Aurangabad, Gaya, Rohtas, Kaimur, Jehanabad, and Arwal.

The BJP traditionally enjoys strong support in the Tirhut, Saran, and northern Mithilanchal regions, which include districts such as East Champaran, West Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, and Saran.

The JD(U), though losing some ground in recent years, continues to hold influence in the Bhagalpur area. Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan maintains a strong base in the Magadh region, which covers Gaya, Aurangabad, Nawada, Jehanabad, and Arwal districts.

In the 2020 Assembly election, the BJP won 42 of these 122 seats, followed by the RJD with 33, JD(U) with 20, Congress with 11, and the Left parties with five.

In contrast, during the 2015 election, when the JD(U) and RJD were allies, the BJP’s tally fell to 36, while the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance captured 80 of the 122 seats.

IANS