Bihar Election 2020 updates: 53.46 per cent voter turnout recorded in Bihar amid COVID fear

By Anuj Cariappa

Updated: Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 20:29 [IST]

Patna, Oct 28: The voter turnout for the Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday was 53.46%, according to the Election Commission's website. During the 2015 Bihar polls, 54.94% of the electorate voted in the first phase. The three-phase election in Bihar began with 71 of the state's 243 seats voting.

Bihar Election 2020 LIVE: 46.29 per cent voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

Catch all the LIVE updates on Bihar Assembly Election 2020 phase 1 here

Oct 28, 2020, 7:36 PM IST

During the 2015 Bihar polls, 54.94% of the electorate voted in the first phase.

Oct 28, 2020, 7:24 PM IST

53.46% per cent voter turnout was recorded till 6pm.

Oct 28, 2020, 7:13 PM IST

Thanks Bihar! I thank you all for the immense affection and support you have given us in the first phase for building a new Bihar. The dreams of Bihar youth will be realised, Tejashwi Yadav tweeted.

Oct 28, 2020, 7:13 PM IST

Thanks Bihar! I thank you all for the immense affection and support you have given us in the first phase for building a new Bihar. The dreams of Bihar youth will be realised, Tejashwi Yadav tweeted.

Oct 28, 2020, 7:02 PM IST

This Bihar poll is completely different because our focus was to organize a safe election, CEC Sunil Arora said.

Oct 28, 2020, 6:56 PM IST

This Bihar poll is completely different because our focus was to organize a safe election, CEC Sunil Arora said.

Oct 28, 2020, 6:55 PM IST

Addressing the media, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said that all Covid-19 rules were followed by the voters of Bihar.

Oct 28, 2020, 6:54 PM IST

Addressing the media, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said that all Covid-19 rules were followed by the voters of Bihar.

Oct 28, 2020, 6:46 PM IST

Voter turnout of 52.24% recorded till 5 pm in the first phase of BiharPolls . In 2015, voter turnout in the first phase of assembly elections was 54.94%, and 53.54% in Lok Sabha elections: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora

Oct 28, 2020, 6:45 PM IST

Oct 28, 2020, 5:56 PM IST

Voter turnout of 51.68% recorded till 5 pm in the first phase of Bihar Polls: Election Commission of India

Oct 28, 2020, 5:55 PM IST

"Listening to his (Modi's) appeal, if you give the NDA one more chance to work in the state, then you take it for sure that he will transform it into a developed state. Bihar with march ahead," he said.

Oct 28, 2020, 5:54 PM IST

Lavishing praise on Modi, Kumar referred to a slew of projects to assert that the people of Bihar can never forget what he has done for the state.

Oct 28, 2020, 5:49 PM IST

Bringing the 'Modi factor' to the fore of the poll campaign, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday devoted his speech at a BJP rally here to development works undertaken by the prime minister for Bihar and said Narendra Modi will make it a "developed" state if the ruling NDA is voted back to power.

Oct 28, 2020, 5:48 PM IST

Oct 28, 2020, 5:41 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tore into the opposition RJD in Bihar, calling its chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav the "yuvraaj" (crown prince) of "jungle raj" and attacking him over the promise of 10 lakh government jobs.

Oct 28, 2020, 5:27 PM IST

Voting will end at 6 PM. But, in the naxal-affected areas polling time has been curtailed.

Oct 28, 2020, 5:19 PM IST

Only Sandesh and Barbigha assembly seats have seen less less than 40 per cent voting till 3 PM out of the total 71 constituencies in the first phase.

Oct 28, 2020, 5:09 PM IST

The maximum 49.84 per cent turnout has been recorded in Lakhisarai, followed by Buxar (48.91 per cent), Kaimur (49.26 per cent), Banka (47.44 per cent), Patna (45.77 per cent) and Bhagalpur (45.51 per cent) among others.

Oct 28, 2020, 5:09 PM IST

Oct 28, 2020, 4:55 PM IST

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said human beings were treated as animals and worms by the police in Munger, when they beat up devotees taking out Durga idols "cruelly and mercilessly".

Oct 28, 2020, 4:52 PM IST

Hitting out at the Bihar government over the Munger firing incident in which a devotee was killed, the Congress compared Chief minister Nitish Kumar with General Dyer on Wednesday and demanded that he should apologise.

Oct 28, 2020, 4:44 PM IST

PM Modi fought 22 days of a fight with the labourers of Bihar by announcing the Covid-19 lockdown without prior notice: Rahul Gandhi

Oct 28, 2020, 4:43 PM IST

Congress Rahul Gandhi addressed a poll rally in Darbhanga, Bihar.

Oct 28, 2020, 4:43 PM IST

Congress Rahul Gandhi addressed a poll rally in Darbhanga, Bihar.

Oct 28, 2020, 4:37 PM IST

UP CM Yogi Adityanath talked about new J&K land laws during his rally in Bihar.

Oct 28, 2020, 4:37 PM IST

UP CM Yogi Adityanath talked about new J&K land laws during his rally in Bihar.

Oct 28, 2020, 4:07 PM IST

Voters undergo thermal screening as they stand in a queue outside a polling station to cast their votes for the first phase of Bihar Assembly Elections, at Naubatpur in Patna.

Oct 28, 2020, 4:06 PM IST

Gathering at PM Modi's rally today

मोदीमय हुआ बिहार।#BiharWithNDA pic.twitter.com/P1TlzWgLVv
— BJP (@BJP4India) October 28, 2020

Oct 28, 2020, 3:55 PM IST

Bihar has witnessed a 46.29 per cent voter turnout according to the latest update by the Election Commission of India.

First Phase elections in Patna District. Welcoming and providing assistance to different voters. #BiharElections2020 pic.twitter.com/uw6W7yLgbq
— DM_PatnaOfficial (@kumravi) October 28, 2020

Oct 28, 2020, 2:05 am IST

More than two crore voters in Bihar will decide the fate of 1,066 candidates on Wednesday across 71 assembly segments in the first phase of elections.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:05 am IST

More than two crore voters in Bihar will decide the fate of 1,066 candidates on Wednesday across 71 assembly segments in the first phase of elections.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:05 am IST

More than two crore voters in Bihar will decide the fate of 1,066 candidates on Wednesday across 71 assembly segments in the first phase of elections.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:06 am IST

Guidelines have been issued by the Election Commission for safe conduct of the electoral exercise, which takes place in the midst of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:06 am IST

These include lowering the cap on the maximum number of voters for a polling booth from 1,600 to 1,000, staggering of polling hours and postal ballot facility for those aged above 80, or those afflicted with or suspected to be carrying the contagion.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:07 am IST

Oct 28, 2020, 2:08 am IST

Oct 28, 2020, 2:09 am IST

Besides, sanitisation of electronic voting machines, wearing of masks and other protective gear by polling personnel and availability of thermal scanner, hand sanitiser, soap and water will be ensured.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:10 am IST

Of the 2.14 crore voters who will exercise their franchise, 1.01 crore are women and 599 belong to the third gender, according to data provided by the Election Commission.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:10 am IST

The candidates include 952 men and 114 women, the maximum number (27) being in the fray at Gaya Town and the minimum (5) at Katoria in Banka district.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:11 am IST

The candidates include 952 men and 114 women, the maximum number (27) being in the fray at Gaya Town and the minimum (5) at Katoria in Banka district.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:11 am IST

Among the major political parties, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) is contesting in 35 of the 71 seats, followed by its ally BJP (29), while the opposition RJD has fielded its candidates in 42 and its coalition partner Congress is in the fray in 20 assembly segments.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:12 am IST

Lok Janshakti Party, headed by Chirag Paswan, is in the fray in 41 seats, which include all the 35 contested by the JD(U), in keeping with the call given by the young party president, who recently pulled out of the NDA in the state, to "dislodge" the chief minister from power.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:13 am IST

Oct 28, 2020, 2:14 am IST

With hours left for ballots to open in Bihar, a video of Chirag Paswan, preparing for a speech in front of his late father's photograph has gone viral.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:15 am IST

The clip was tweeted by Pankhuri Pathak, who works for the social media team of the UP Congress.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:15 am IST

The clip was tweeted by Pankhuri Pathak, who works for the social media team of the UP Congress.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:16 am IST

The clip was tweeted by Pankhuri Pathak, who works for the social media team of the UP Congress.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:16 am IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address three rallies in Bihar on Wednesday, on a day when the first phase of the Bihar Assembly election will be held.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:16 am IST

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, PM made the announcement saying that he will hold the rallies in Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Patna.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:17 am IST

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, PM made the announcement saying that he will hold the rallies in Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Patna.

Oct 28, 2020, 2:17 am IST

Urging the mass to join all the rallies, he stated that it will be an opportunity to communicate directly with the people.

Oct 28, 2020, 7:08 am IST

Voting begins for the first phase of Bihar Elections ; 1,066 candidates in fray for 71 seats

Oct 28, 2020, 7:11 am IST

Problem detected in the Electronic Voting Machine at polling booth number 168 in Lakhisarai

Oct 28, 2020, 7:12 am IST

Sanitization work being undertaken at a polling station in Gaya in view of COVID-19.

Sanitization work being undertaken at a polling station in Gaya in view of COVID-19.#BiharElections2020 pic.twitter.com/6KdMHANKTA
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2020

Oct 28, 2020, 7:12 am IST

Visuals from a polling station in Gaya

Voting for the first phase of #BiharElections underway; visuals from a polling station in Gaya pic.twitter.com/LOlxKLX09J
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2020

Oct 28, 2020, 7:13 am IST

In Gaya, People deployed on polling duties seen wearing masks and gloves; sanitizers to be used during the voting that will begin shortly, which is first of its kind after COVID19 pandemic.

Oct 28, 2020, 7:14 am IST

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) is contesting in 35 of the 71 seats, while the BJP is contesting 29 seats in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020. There are also six state cabinet ministers who will be contesting in phase-1 of the elections in Bihar.

Oct 28, 2020, 7:15 am IST

The RJD had fielded candidates in 42 seats, while the Congress is in the fray in 20 assembly segments. Chirag Paswan’s LJP is contesting in 41 seats in the first phase. These 41 include all the 35 contested by the JD(U).