Bihar Assembly Polls: All 71 constituencies set to kick off to vote tomorrow

Patna: The first phase of Bihar election polls on Wednesday will see 71 seats open in the state. BJP chief J.P. Nadda along with other prominent leaders and Union ministers took part in the final rallies while campaigning ended on Monday.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and PM Narendra Modi are expected to pitch in rallies conducted in other constituencies on Wednesday.

In 15 years of rule, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's biggest asset is women voters, and he puts faith in them, expecting a successful outcome. He claims he has worked for schemes empowering women, such as solar streetlights on every road.

On the other side, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav attacked Nitish Kumar by pointing out the drawbacks of BJP rule in Bihar like unemployment, increasing crimes and hardships faced by migrant workers.

One of the states worse-affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Bihar battles with balancing politics with restrictions as all parties utilise rallies where the majority ignore mask-wearing mandates and social-distancing rules. The state has registered 2.12 lakh, newly infected cases and thousands of deaths.

Top leaders, including BJP's election campaign in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Ex-union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, star campaigner Shanavas Hussain have tested COVID positive and have kept away from the campaigning. Two cabinet ministers in the Nitish government have died of the disease.

Voting for 243 assembly seats in the state will be held on October 28, November 3 and November 7, and results will be announced on November 10.