Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections - 2020


 

Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections – 2020

By - Lt Col D Purushothaman Pillay (Retd)

 

A Crucial Election During A Pandemic, With Likely National Political Implications!

 

These are the quinquennial elections which will elect 243 members to the State Legislative Assembly, which is also called the Bihar Vidhan Sabha. This is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the eastern Indian state of Bihar, which is the 3rd largest state by population, and the 12th largest by area, of the Union of India. The party or coalition that secures in excess of 122 seats will get the opportunity to govern the state after the elections.

 

A brief snapshot of some essential facts of the state of Bihar is given below:



FACTS

 

Capital - Patna

Formation - 22 March 1912

Statehood - 26 January 1950

Divisions - 9

Districts - 38

Cultural Regions - 3 (Magadh, Mithila & Bhojpur)

Municipal Corporations - 12

Total Area - 94,163 Sq Kms

Population (2011) - 104,099,452

Population Density – 1102 Per Sq Km

Legislative Council - 75 Seats

Legislative Assembly - 243 Seats

Rajya Sabha - 16 Seats

Lok Sabha - 40 Seats

 

ELECTION SCHEDULE




 

First Phase

 

Day/Date - Wed, 28 Oct 2020

Districts - 16

Seats - 71

 

Second Phase

 

Day/Date - Tue, 03 Nov 2020

Districts - 17

Seats - 94

 

Third & Final Phase

 

Day/Date - Sat, 07 Nov 2020

Districts - 15

Seats - 78

 

Counting Of Votes/Results

 

Day/Date - Tue, 10 Nov 2020

 

SEATS

 


The term of the current 243 members Bihar Vidhan Sabha comes to an end on 29 Nov 2020, the new assembly has to be formed before that date. 40 out of the 243 seats are Reserved seats. Broken down further to 38 seats are reserved for candidates from the SCs and 2 seats for the STs.

 

VOTERS


To ensure this representation, around 7.3 crore voters will exercise their franchise, in the 38 different districts that make up the state, as per the schedule given above. A total of around 78 lac voters will be voting for the first time. For administrative reasons this whole process is spread over 14 days starting from 28 Oct 2020 till the counting on 10 Nov 2020.

 

THE COALITION PARTIES

 

There are two political coalitions that are fighting for the mandate. They are the incumbent NDA which includes, BJP, JD(U), VIP & HAM parties led by current Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on one side.

 

They are opposed by the Mahagathbandan which is led by a young Tejaswi Yadav of Laloo Yadav's RJD, which includes the Left parties CPI, CPI(M) & CPI(ML) and the Congress party on the other side.

 

Another integral player in the local political sphere, the LJP led by Chirag Paswan after demise of his father Ram Vilas Paswan, are keeping their options open. In case of a hung assembly they hope to drive a bargain and play kingmaker dependent on the numbers they finally muster.

 

THE COALITIONS AND THEIR 243 SEAT DISTRIBUTION

 

NDA :

 

JD(U) - 115 seats

BJP - 110

Vikassheel Insaan Party - 11

Hindustani Awam Morcha - 7

 

Mahagathbandhan :

 

RJD - 144

Congress - 70

CPI-ML - 19

CPI - 6

CPIM - 4

 

PHASE STATISTICS


Some important related stats of the polling today, Wednesday, 28 Oct 2020 which is :-

 

PHASE 1 OUT OF 3 PHASES

 

Total Seats - 71

Total Candidates - 1066

Male Candidates - 952

Female Candidates - 114

Total Voters - 2.15 Crore

Male Voters - 1.12 Crore

Female Voters - 1.03 Crore

Third Gender - 600

Total Polling Booths - 31,371

 

Total Districts - 16

 


Election watching is an important barometer to judge the mood of the nation and its people. It gives a clear indication of whether the Government of the day is up to the task, and successful in meeting the expectations of those who chose them to govern them. Let us eagerly wait for the verdict of the people of Bihar in a fortnight, and see which coalition tops the magic figure of 122. The results of these elections will have broader national ramifications on future synergies. Crucial strategic decisions of both, those currently in the government, and those who are now in the opposition will decide the future of politics and prospective coalitions that will take our nation forward in the immediate future. Elections are indeed the lifeblood of any democracy. And democracy is the will of the majority, to decide who and how you would like to be led for the next five years, be it at the state level or at the national level. 

Long live the vibrant Indian Democracy!

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