3.7 crore voters to decide electoral fate of 1,302 candidates in 122 seats

Polling for the second and final phase of highstakes Assembly elections in Bihar will be held on Tuesday in 122 constituencies spread across 20 districts.

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Voting in the second phase will take place in constituencies along the Indo-Nepal border and in Seemanchal, Magadh, Shahabad, Kosi and Mithilanchal regions. All arrangements have been put in place by the Election Commission to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling.

Bihar police chief Vinay Kumar said that from the security point of view, borders adjoining Nepal and inter-state borders with Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand have been sealed and regular patrolling was being carried out. Security has been beefed up across Bihar with over 4 lakh personnel engaged in election duties.

As many as 45,000 polling stations have been set up and control rooms have also been established in all 20 district headquarters. Nearly 40,000 polling stations fall in rural areas. Over 3.7 crore voters are expected to decide the fate of 1,302 candidates who are testing their electoral fortunes, including 136 women. The total number of women voters in the 122 constituencies is 1.75 crore.

From the NDA combine, the BJP has fielded 53 candidates, followed by 44 of Janata Dal (United) and Lok Jan Shakti (LJP) is contesting on 15 seats.

From the opposition Mahagathbandhan side, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has put the highest number of candidates with 71 nominations, followed by 37 candidates by the Congress. The Vikas Sheel Insaan Party, led by Mukesh Sahani, is contesting on eight seats while the CPI(M-L) has put up six candidates.

In half a dozen constituencies, a friendly fight is on the cards among the constituent parties of Mahagathbandhan as RJD,Congress, VIP and CPI have fielded candidates against each other. Six ministers in Nitish Kumar's government are also in the fray in this phase of polling.

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.