PATNA, 23 February 2005 — The third and final round of voting for Bihar and Jharkhand assemblies will take place today. Stage is set for voting in 93 assembly constituencies of Bihar.
Heavy security is in force in both the states to safeguard against violence during today’s balloting in which about 26.5 million people are eligible to vote. The first two rounds took place Feb. 3 and Feb. 15. The elections in Bihar are a trial of strength for the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a Congress party ally that has ruled the state since 1990.
In Bihar, where 1,329 candidates will fight it out in 93 of 243 seats today, the RJD has taken on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- Janata Dal-United (JD-U) alliance as well as Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Despite being a Congress ally, RJD is pitted against it in many constituencies.
The third round of polling assumes significance because of reports that the Congress has asked its leaders and LJP to go slow against RJD candidates fearing a division in anti-BJP votes. However, the RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Yadav yesterday said his party would emerge as the big winner in the assembly elections. Speaking of the Congress, Lalu said that the RJD did not need help from other parties to retain power.
“We will be able to form the government again in Bihar and the Congress will come back to the RJD despite contesting elections with Ram Vilas Paswan,” he said. “Congress would not join hands with communal parties, would it?” Lalu asked.
The final phase of polling will decide the fate of several key candidates, including Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, opposition leader in the state assembly Upendra Singh, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Shankar Dubey, state Congress President Ram Jatan Sinha, senior RJD ministers Awadh Bihari Choudhury, Udit Rai and Indira Devi, wife of Rabri’s high-profile brother Sadhu Yadav.
In neighboring Jharkhand, which faces its first assembly elections after it was carved out of Bihar in 2000, the final phase involves 6.4 million voters in 28 of the total 81 seats.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress alliance is the main contender against the ruling BJP-JD-U coalition.
Apprehension of large-scale violence during the final phase of polling in Bihar has kept administration on its toes. Some 50,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed to ensure peace and security. Thousands of state police personnel and home guards have also been posted.
Fears of violent polling intensified as at least 10 people said to be engaged in bomb making were killed in explosions at different places across the state, and dozens were seriously injured from Monday onward.
To ensure peaceful polling, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Akhilesh Singh was banned from entering into his parliamentary constituency in Motihari till today.
Earlier, two controversial RJD MPs, Mohammad Shahabuddin of Siwan and Sadhu Yadav of Gopalganj, were also barred from entering their home districts. Siwan, Gopalganj and Motihari are among the seats holding polls today.
Shahabuddin, who had been granted bail in a murder case Friday and was expected to be freed Monday, will have to spend eight more days in custody so he cannot interfere in the election process. Similarly, Sadhu has left Gopalganj and will return only after the Feb. 27 counting.
Lalu has criticized their ban, pointing out that they were voters in their constituencies. “The Election Commission should not be misled by the communal parties. This is in clear violation of the fundamental rights of a citizen,” he said. However, poll officials said leaders of other parties such as the JD-U, the BJP and the LJP have also been barred from the Gopalganj, Siwan and Saran districts. LJP MP Suraj Bhan has also been barred from entering Patna.
