PATNA/NEW DELHI, 24 September 2005 — The race for the Bihar Assembly polls has begun with state Governor Buta Singh notifying the first round in a staggered four-phased election.
The first round of polling will be held on Oct. 18, and will cover 61 constituencies, including Naxalite-hit Patna, Rohtas, Kaimur, Buxar, Bhojpur, Aurangabad Jehanabad, Gaya, Arwal, Nawada, Jamui and Banka districts
The next three phases are scheduled to be held on Oct. 26, Nov. 13 and 19. The counting of votes will take place on Nov. 22. The polling will be spread over a month because of major religious festivals and to ensure adequate security.
The beginning of the poll process comes amidst a Supreme Court hearing of a Public Interest Litigation by NDA MLAs, challenging the dissolution of the state assembly by the governor in May. If the court strikes down the assembly’s dissolution, the poll process could be annulled by the Election Commission.
The assembly elections held in February this year had thrown up a hung house with no party or combination in a position to form government. The 13th Bihar Assembly was dissolved under controversial circumstances on May 23.
Meanwhile, in an apparent move to keep its minority vote bank intact, the Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD)-led alliance for Bihar polls, is likely to give five per cent job reservation to Muslims in the common minimum program (CMP) to be released soon. The CMP will be jointly announced by the RJD along with the Congress and the NCP.
Interestingly, the proposal has come in the wake of Lok Janshakti Party(LJP) leader Ram Vilas Paswan, who is part of third front, attempting to make inroads into the traditional minority vote bank of RJD and Congress with the promise of a Muslim chief minister.
The Congress party and its allies in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which have already held three rounds of talks on seat-sharing for the next month’s assembly polls in Bihar, will disclose the equation today.
