Ninety-four of Bihar’s 243 seats are up for election today in the second phase of the assembly polls in the middle of a bitter campaign, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is spearheading the NDA attack with a series of rallies.
The key candidates include Tejashwi Yadav, the Chief Ministerial candidate of the alliance of Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Left parties and the Congress, whose massive rallies have drawn a direct barb from the Prime Minister. “Crown prince of Jungle Raj” was what PM Modi tagged him last week as the RJD leader’s rallies assumed mammoth proportions. The last phase of elections will be held on November 7, after which the votes will be counted on November 10.
Meanwhile, by-elections for 54 assembly seats across 10 states are also being held today with seven assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. In 2017, the BJP won six of these. The most-watched will be Unnao’s Bangarmau seat, where BJP’s Kuldeep Sengar was disqualified after his conviction in a rape case.