Parties reach out to Chhath returnees

WITH nearly 60-70 lakh of the expected 87-89 lakh Biharis returning home for the Chhath festival on October 27 and 28 — barely a week before the first phase of polling — political watchers expect a surge in voter turnout during the November 6 and 11 assembly elections across Bihar’s 243 constituencies.

- RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @New Delhi

Many of these returnees are likely to stay on and vote, especially in districts that recorded low polling in 2020. Political parties, sensing their electoral weight, are going all out to woo them. The BJP, JD(U), and RJD are urging migrant workers to “stay back and vote,” portraying it as a duty to ensure a better future for Bihar. The returnees, mostly labourers and small employees working in factories, construction sites, and offices across India, are now seen as a decisive voter bloc.