Bihar polls Phase 1: Condemning Bihar’s Munger incident in which an 18-year-old man was shot dead, Mahagathbandan’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday demanded a High Court-monitored probe in the case. “We condemn the Munger incident. The administration says one person was killed and several injured but I don’t know why police acted with such brutality. What was the Chief Minister doing? This double-engine govt definitely had a role in it. We want to ask Dy CM Sushil Modi, who gave permission to become General Dyer? We want High Court-monitored probe,” said Tejashwi.
Tejashwi also demanded that the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Superintendent of Police (SP) to be removed with immediate effect. Meanwhile, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala also said that the Munger incident has shaken the conscience of the nation. An 18-year-old man was shot dead and some people were injured in a firing incident after clashes occurred here during the immersion of Goddess Durga on Monday in Munger.
Voting began on 71 constituencies across 16 districts in the first phase of Bihar Assembly election on Wednesday at 7 am. As many as 1,066 candidates are in the fray including 42 from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), 35 from Janata Dal (United), 29 from BJP, 21 from Congress and 8 from Left parties. A total of 2,14,84,787 electors are eligible to vote at EVMs today.
We condemn firing by police in Munger, in which 1 person was killed. This double-engine govt definitely had a role in it. We want to ask Dy CM Sushil Modi, who gave permission to become General Dyer? We want High Court-monitored probe: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Munger incident pic.twitter.com/NlXiajkxwg
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2020
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Who is responsible for the firing & lathicharge incident in Munger? Chief Minister is now playing the role of General Dyer who ordered the Jallianwalah massacre. I am sure CM is responsible for the incident, an investigation should be done: Chirag Paswan, LJP #BiharElections pic.twitter.com/4uCHsXwOX5
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2020
Nearly half-a-dozen ministers from Nitish Kumar cabinet are in the fray in the first phase: Prem Kumar who is contesting from Gaya Town, Krishna Nandan Verma from Jehanabad, Santosh Kumar Nirala from Nirala, Jai Kumar Singh from Dinara, Ram Narayan Mandal from Banka and Vijay Kumar Sinha from Lakhisarai.
Former chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi is contesting from Imamganj Assembly constituency where the RJD has pitted former Speaker of Bihar Assembly Uday Narayan Chaudhary.
Among other seats going to polls in the first phase are Jamui Assembly constituency where BJP fielded Shreyasi Singh, a national shooter and the daughter of former Union minister Digvijay Singh.
#WATCH: Bihar Minister Prem Kumar rides a cycle on his way to the polling booth to cast his vote, in Gaya. #BiharAssemblyElection2020 pic.twitter.com/9tR2AiZZz4
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2020
The campaigning for the first phase of the high-decibel Bihar Assembly Elections ended on October 26 evening.
Bihar is witnessing a triangular contest with the ruling JDU-BJP alliance and grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others) and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.
BJP wants to keep 'Chirag' in their hand to light up their home & burn down Nitish Ji's house. Woh 'Chirag' ko bhi bujhana chahte hain. So BJP wants to use Chirag first, then get rid of him later: Congress' Bihar in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil on Chirag Paswan pic.twitter.com/zykz3Nebdo
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2020
On one side is the NDA which includes JD-U (115 seats), BJP (110 seats), Vikassheel Insaan Party (11 seats) and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (7 seats). Mahagathbandhan which picked Tejashwi Yadav as chief ministerial candidate constitutes RJD (144 seats) and the Congress with 70 seats. Other alliance partners include the CPI-ML (19 seats), CPI (6 seats), and the CPIM (4 seats).
LJP is contesting 136 seats on its own and fielded candidates against all JD-U nominees and only a few against BJP.
More than 52,000 voters belonging to Senior Citizen (above 80 years of age) and PwD (Persons with Disabilities) categories have opted to exercise the facility to vote through postal ballots in the forthcoming phase 1 of Bihar Legislative Assembly elections 2020.
The Election Commission has already mandated face masks, hand sanitizers, thermal scanners, gloves, face shields, and PPE kits during the electoral process while ensuring social distancing norms. It also laid down guidelines for each polling station, including sanitization a day before the poll, markers for social distancing, putting up of COVID-19 awareness posters, and availability of hand gloves. (ANI)
