New Delhi: Elaborate security arrangements have been made for 3rd and last phase of assembly elections. In all, 78 constituencies spread over 15 districts including Kishanganj, Katihar, Madhepura and Supaul will go to polls in this phase.
5 of 15 districts, going to polls in the third and final phase, figure in the state’s top 10 Covid-19 districts in terms of the total number of cases, reported a leading daily.
Polling for By-Election to Valmiki Nagar Parliamentary seat, will also be held simultaneously. Seven candidates are in fray for this Lok Sabha seat.
Over 2.35 crore electorates will decide the fate of 1,204 candidates including 110 women in this phase. Polling will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Chief Electoral Officer H. R. Srinivasa said, polling will be held upto 4 p.m. in four Naxal-affected constituencies of Valmiki Nagar, Ramnagar, Simri Bakhtiarpur and Mahishi. Out of 33 thousand 782 Polling Stations 4,999 are considered as vulnerable.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Singh said that additional security forces have been deployed in Naxal-infested areas to ensure trouble-free polling.
Election Commission has instructed to follow COVID protocol during the conduct of polls. Every person has to wear face mask during election related activities. Thermal scanning of all persons will be carried out and sanitizers will be made available at all locations during the polling. All polling booths have been sanitized. In view of COVID situation, only one thousand electors will exercise their right of franchise at each Polling Station instead of 1,500.
BJP is contesting 35 seats while Janata Dal (United)- 37, Vikassheel Insaan Party five seats and Hindustani Awam Morcha one seat in this phase. RJD is contesting 46 seats, Congress 25 candidates and left parties seven seats. On the other hand, LJP has fielded 42 candidates, RLSP-23, BSP-19 and NCP-31 candidates.
Political fortunes of Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Chief of Vikassheel Insaan Party, Mukesh Sahni, will be decided in this phase. Twelve Ministers including Bijendra Yadav, Bima Bharati, Firoz and Ramesh Rishidev are also in the fray.
Elections are being held in three phases for the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly. The first phase of polling was held on 28th of October and second on 3rd of November.
