Bihar gears up for final phase voting

For the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc, the final round of polling is being seen as a crucial test to retain the support of various groups with complex caste and community dynamics

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Electoral fortunes of 1,302 candidates, including over half a dozen ministers in the Nitish Kumar government, will be sealed Tuesday with 3.70 crore voters eligible to exercise their franchise across 122 Assembly segments in the second and final phase of the high-stakes Bihar polls.

For the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc, the final round of polling is being seen as a crucial test to retain the support of various groups with complex caste and community dynamics.

The districts going to polls November 11 include West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj, and all these share borders with Nepal.

Most of these districts fall in the Seemanchal region, which has a high concentration of Muslim population, making it a high-stakes battle for both the INDIA bloc, which banks on the support of the minority community, as well as the ruling NDA, which alleges that the Opposition is "protecting infiltrators".