Bihar Elections: Will the 31 year old Yadav rule the roost or will Nitish get a fourth term

New Delhi, Nov 09: It would be a very crucial day for Bihar tomorrow. It would be decided whether Tejashwi Yadav becomes chief minister or will incumbent Nitish Kumar get a fourth term.

Almost all exit polls have given the Grand Alliance the edge. However, exit polls can go wrong also. One of the key question that is being asked is whether Bihar has voted for a young CM. Yadav turns 31 today.

This was the first major election to be held amidst the pandemic. Moreover, this was the first time in 30 years that an election was held without RJD chief, Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is jail after being conducted in multiple fodder scams.

The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for counting of votes on November 10.

The poll panel said it has set up a total of 55 counting centres, housing 414 halls, spread across all the 38 districts of the state that voted in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7.

The maximum three counting centres each have been set up in four districts of East Champaran (which has 12 assembly constituencies), Gaya (10 constituencies), Siwan (eight constituencies) and Begusarai (seven). Rest other districts either have one or two counting centres each.

Considering the fact that coronavirus is raging in the state, steps have been taken to ensure that COVID guidelines are strictly followed during the counting. Face masks will be mandatory for entering into the counting centres besides sanitisers will be kept in adequate quantity there.

However the results may be delayed by a few hours as the polls were held amidst the pandemic. As a precautionary measure, the EC decreased the number of votes per polling booth and this led to an increased number of booths as a result of which the number of EVMs too increased.

In the state capital Patna, votes for all the 14 assembly constituencies will be counted at just one centre set up at A.N. College. The poll panel said it is readying 30 counting halls at the college. Bihar Chief Electoral Officer H R Srinivasa said the Election Commission has established a three-tier security system for strong rooms (housing the Electronic Voting Machines) and the counting centres.

The inner core is being guarded by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), then there is the Bihar Military Police (BMP) and then the district police, he told reporters. "We have deployed 19 companies of CAPF just for the security of the strong rooms and counting centres. Besides, we have 59 CAPF companies to ensure law and order during and in the aftermath of the counting process," he said.

One CAPF company comprises around 100 personnel. The CEO said the Election Commission will strictly deal with any "anti-social" elements who indulges in "hooliganism" during or in the aftermath of the counting. Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Jitendra Kumar said CCTV cameras have been installed in the control rooms.