2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election
The Bihar legislative assembly election, 2010 was held in six phases over a period of one month starting from 21 October until 20 November in all 243 constituencies of Bihar, India.[1] The election is conducted to elect the government in Bihar for a five-year term. The votes were scheduled to be counted on 24 November.[2]
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All 243 seats of the legislative assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 52.73%( 6.88) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 District map of Bihar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
The Janata Dal (United) was the largest party in the Bihar legislative assembly after the 2005 election, and ruled along with the Bharatiya Janata Party as part of the National Democratic Alliance. The incumbent chief minister was Nitish Kumar.[3]
This election also followed a surprise defeat by the once ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal in the 2009 Indian general election.[4]
Schedule
| Phase | Date | No of assembly constituencies | ||
| I | 21 October | 47 | ||
| II | 24 October | 45 | ||
| III | 28 October | 48 | ||
| IV | 1 November | 42 | ||
| V | 9 November | 35 | ||
| VI | 20 November | 26 | ||
| Counting | 24 November | 243 | ||
| Source: Election Commission of India | ||||
Yellow is phase II
Blue is phase III
Green is phase IV
Orange is phase V
Pink is phase VI[5]
Phase I
47 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:[1]
Harlakhi, Benipatti, Khajauli, Babubarhi, Bisfi, Madhubani, Rajnagar (SC), Jhanjharpur, Phulparas, Laukaha, Nirmali, Pipra, Supaul, Triveniganj (SC), Chhatapur, Narpatganj, Raniganj (SC), Forbesganj, Araria, Jokihat, Sikti, Bahadurganj, Thakurganj, Kishanganj, Kochadhaman, Amour, Baisi, Kasba, Banmankhi (SC), Rupauli, Dhamdaha, Purnia, Katihar, Kadwa, Balrampur, Pranpur, Manihari (ST), Barari, Korha (SC), Alamnagar, Bihariganj, Singheshwar (SC), Madhepura, Sonbarsha (SC), Saharsa
The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:00:
Simri, Bakhtiarpur, Mahishi
Phase II
45 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:[1]
Sheohar, Riga, Bathnaha (SC), Parihar, Sursand, Bajpatti, Sitamarhi, Runnisaidpur, Belsand, Kusheshwar Asthan (SC), Gaura Bauram, Benipur, Alinagar, Darbhanga Rural, Darbhanga, Hayaghat, Bahadurpur, Keoti, Jale, Gaighat, Aurai, Bochaha (SC), sakra (SC), Kurhani, Muzaffarpur, Kanti, Baruraj, Kalyanpur (SC), Warisnagar, Samastipur, Ujiarpur, Morwa, Sarairanjan, Mohiuddinnagar, Bibhutipur, Rosera (SC), Hasanpur, Narkatia, Pipra, Madhuban, Chiraia, Dhaka
The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:00:
Minapur, Paroo, Sahebgan
Arun Singh will Win Dhaka legislative assembly election in 2015
Phase III
48 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:[1]
Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Lauriya, Nautan, Chanpatia, Bettiah, Sikta, Raxaul, Sugauli, Harsidhi (SC), Govindganj, Kesaria, Kalyanpur, Motihari, Baikunthpur, Barauli, Gopalganj, Shahpur Patti,
Kuchaikote, Bhorey (SC), Hathua, Siwan, Ziradei, Darauli (SC), Raghunathpur, Daraundha, Barharia, Goriakothi, Maharajganj, Ekma, Manjhi, Baniapur, Taraiya, Marhaura, Chapra, Garkha (SC), Amnour, Parsa, Sonepur, Hajipur, Lalganj, Vaishali, Mahua, Raja Pakar (SC), Mahnar
The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:00:
Valmiki Nagar, Ramnagar (SC), Raghopur, Patepur (SC)
Phase IV
42 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:[1]
Cheria Bariarpur, Bachhwara, Teghra, Matihani, Sahebpur Kamal, Begusarai, Bakhri (SC), Khagaria, Beldaur, Parbatta, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bihpur, Gopalpur, Pirpainti (SC), Kahalgaon, Bhagalpur, Sultanganj, Nathnagar, Mokama, Barh, Bakhtiarpur, Digha, Bankipur, Kumhrar, Patna Sahib, Fatuha, Danapur, Maner, Amarpur, Dhauraiya (SC), Banka
The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:30:
Alauli (SC), Suryagarha, Tarapur, Jamalpur, Katoria (ST), Belhar, Sikandra (SC), Jamui, Jhajha, Chakai
The Banka Lok Sabha seat was also chosen in a by-election following the death of Digvijay Singh.[6]
Phase V
35 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:[1]
Sandesh, Barhara, Arrah, Agiaon (SC), Tarari, Jagdishpur, Shahpur, Hisua, Nawada, Warsaliganj, Gaya Town, Belaganj, Atri, Wazirganj, Sheikhpura, Barbigha, Asthawan, Biharsharif, Rajgir (SC), Islampur, Hilsa, Nalanda, Harnaut,
The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:00:
Rajauli (SC), Gobindpur, Arwal, Kurtha, Jehanabad, Ghosi, Makhdumpur (SC), Bodh Gaya (SC), Phulwari (SC), Masaurhi (SC), Paliganj, Bikram
Phase VI
26 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:[1]
Brahampur, Buxar, Dumraon, Rajpur (SC), Ramgarh, Mohania (SC), Kargahar, Nokha, Obra, Aurangabad
The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:00:
Bhabua, Chainpur, Chenari (SC), Sasaram, Dinara, Dehri, Karakat, Goh, Nabinagar, Kutumba (SC), Rafiganj, Gurua, Sherghati, Imamganj (SC), Barachatti (SC), Tikari
Parties
- National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Janata Dal (United) (JDU)
- RJD/LJP alliance
- United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
- Indian National Congress (INC)
- Left Front
- Others
Candidate issues
Some key candidates were the NDA Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary, an RJD leader Shakil Ahmed Khan who was competing with JDU's Vinod Yadav, JDU Chhedi Paswan against RJD's Niranjan Ram, a former Union minister Kanti Singh against the BJP incumbent Rameshwar Prasad, Awadesh Narain Singh against RJD's Iliyas Hussain and Anil Kumar against RJD's Bagi Kumar Verma.
The final round's important race was that of a senior RJD leader Jagdanand Singh's son Sudhakar Singh, who was a candidate for the BJP against the RJD's Ambika Yadav. Singh campaigned against his son saying: "Sudhakar is my biological son but Ambika is my political heir." The JDU's Mahabali Singh's son Dharmendra also contested for the opposition RJD. Other family affairs were the JDU's Sushil Singh's older brother Sunil Singh, who was competing for the RJD.[7]
Campaign
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said his party has nothing in common with its coalition partner the BJP, and that the decision not to have the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi campaign in Bihar was made by the BJP alone and not him after a rift over Modi's earlier visit and the return of funds from Gujarat for relief work following the 2008 Bihar flood.[8] He also said there was no possibility of having an alliance with the INC.[9]
The BJP attacked the INC and its former allies, saying they would lose the election because "There is nothing but [a] NDA wave perceptible in Bihar and Nitish Kumar will once against return to power with [a] two-thirds majority."[10] Their coalition partner and CM Kumar also attacked the INC as being responsible for Bihar's "backwardness."[11]
The JDU's Sharad Yadav attacked the INC's General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who was campaigning for the party's Bihar campaign: "What does Rahul Gandhi know about politics? Somebody wrote on the paper and gave it to you and you read it out. We are an unfortunate country. He should be thrown into the Ganga." He also blamed Gandhi for "indulging in dynastic politics."[12]
Gandhi also controversially said that "Aapki Congress party gareebon ki party hai, aapki party hai."["Your Congress party is the party of the poor, your party."][13]
Poll
The media suggested that the ruling NDA was likely to have a slight increase in seats from the previous election. The NDA previously won just one seat in Buxar but looked to make bigger gains in this election from the district with the JDU's Dawood Ali facing the JDS' Dadan Pahalwan. The constituencies of Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, and Gaya were expected to tilt towards the NDA.
The opposition RJD-LJP alliance was expected to benefit from the "anti-incumbency factor" against such NDA candidates as Choudhary, Chhedi Paswan, and Awadhesh Narain Singh.[7]
October 2010 opinion poll:
| Party | Seats Contested | Star News-Nielsen | IBN-Week | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janata Dal (United) | 141 | 120 | 61–67 | |||
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 102 | 50 | 49–55 | |||
| Rashtriya Janata Dal | 168 | 28 | 70–76 | |||
| Lok Janshakti Party | 75 | 6 | 7–13 | |||
| Indian National Congress | 243 | 22 | 23–29 | |||
| Independent/ Others | – | 17 | 21–43 | |||
| Total | 243 | |||||
| Source: a | ||||||
Controversy
Following the BJP's issuance of tickets for the election, its Bihar president, C.P. Thakur, was summoned to the party's national headquarters to explain his decision. He had not opted to campaign during the elections and resigned from his post in the party after his son, Vivek Thakur, was not given representation on the party ticket.[14]
A low turnout was expected in the Naxal-affected districts, according to the election commission. This followed a Naxal boycott call in several districts. The first five phases saw an average of 52% voter turnout. The final phase recorded 51% despite concerns that it would have a low turnout and be a "real test if the 'Nitish factor'" worked following CM Nitish Kumar's appeal: "Good voter turnout alone is the point to ponder in this phase. Crowd presence at several meetings had been a good indicator though."[7]
Violence
Two days before the second phase of voting naxals triggered a land mine in Sheohar district killing six policemen. As a result, the district's voting centers would close 2 hours earlier. The attack was seen as a resurgence in Naxal activity after a lull due to its timing during an election.[15] Though the Naxals had called for a boycott of the polls, the second phase ended largely unscathed.[16]
On the fourth phase of voting more bombs were set off. In the morning Naxals were responsible for a bomb blast near a bridge on the Chakai-Jamui road in the Batia jungle. Later on "anti-social elements" set off another bomb in the Danapur assembly constituency[6] wounding 2 people.[17] On the eve of the fifth phase of voting, the naxals called for a 24-hour bandh. During the bandh, security services attempted to defuse a bomb planted by the naxals, however 2 bomb disposal personnel were killed.[18]
Days before the final phase of voting a naxal boycott was enforced with a bombing of a bridge[19] and another attack that killed near the Chenari assembly constituency, which was due to vote during the final phase.[20] On the final day of voting 1 person was killed and 2 were injured when bomb exploded in a cinema hall,[21] 2 others were also killed trying to defuse a bomb.[22] A bomb plated to disrupt the final day of voting in Aurangabad district was found the following day, however, the police apparently left the live bomb unattended; as a result 8 children were killed when it exploded and villagers blamed the police, following which the district magistrate arrived and announced compensation of Rs. 100,000 for each of the dead.[23]
Areas in Sonbhadra and Chandauli districts in Uttar Pradesh, near the border with Rohtas and Bhabhua districts in Bihar, were sealed due to the final phase of voting.[24] The Imamganj constituency, which is apparently "simmering [with] tension" over Naxal activity was seen as a security challenge. It also had a quiet campaign. Shiv Shankar Singh, a confidant of the Bihar Assembly Speaker, Uday Narayan Chaudhary, of the constituency said: "There will be no election campaigning in the interiors. Who will take the risk? Public meetings were held only in block headquarters of Dumaria, Imamganj, and Banker Bazar." There were also posters calling for a poll boycott in the days leading up to the poll.[25] Some reports, however, said the constituency is safer now than a decade ago.[26]
Despite the violence, the Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said this was "the most peaceful election ever [held in Bihar]."[27]
Electoral code violations
First information reports were filed against the head of the RJD, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and his wife Rabri Devi for violating the Election Commission of India's model code of conduct for having brought their own security personnel into the polling booth in Dinapur of Digha constituency in the provincial capital Patna. An FIR was also filed against Bihar's JDU Transport Minister Ram Nandan Singh for having taken two guards into the polling booth while casting his vote in the Parbatta constituency of Khagaria district.[6]
Results
There are a total of 243 seats, with 38 reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 2 for Scheduled Tribes (ST).[1] A total of 875 candidates, including 43 women, stood in the election.[7]
The Lok Sabha by-election for Banka was won by Putul Kumari, an independent candidate.[28]
| Parties and Coalitions | Popular vote | Seats | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote | % | +/- | Contested | Won | +/- | |||
| Janata Dal (United) | 65,61,906 | 22.58 | 2.15 |
141 | 115 | 27 | ||
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 47,90,436 | 16.49 | 0.81 |
102 | 91 | 36 | ||
| Rashtriya Janata Dal | 54,75,656 | 18.84 |  4.61 |
168 | 22 | 32 | ||
| Lok Janshakti Party | 19,57,232 | 6.74 | 4.35 |
75 | 3 | 7 | ||
| Indian National Congress | 24,31,477 | 8.37 | 2.29 |
243 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Communist Party of India | 4,91,630 | 1.69 | 0.4 |
56 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | 1,76,400 | 0.61% | 41 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Independents | 38,42,812 | 13.22 | 1342 | 6 | 4 | |||
| Total | 2,90,58,604 | 100.00 | 243 | 100.00 | ±0 | |||
| Source: Election Commission of India | ||||||||
Results by Constituency
The following is the list of winning and nearest lost candidate in 2010 Bihar legislative assembly election.[29]
See also
References
- Schedule for General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar and bye-election to Lok Sabha from 27-Banka Parliamentary Constituency in the State Archived 5 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Election Commission of India, 6 September 2010. Accessed 22 November 2010.
- "Schedule for General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar". IBN Live. 25 October 2010. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- "NDA sweeps Bihar, 15-yr Laloo raj over". Expressindia.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Performance in General Election 2009". Indian-electionaffairs.com. 30 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Vidhansabha Elections in Bihar, Nov 2010". Travelindia-guide.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- Front Page : High voter turnout in Naxal belt of Bihar Archived 3 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine. The Hindu (2 November 2010). Retrieved on 9 November 2010.
- "The last test in Naxal hotbed". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Nitish returns flood aid, BJP hits back at him". IBN Live. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 4 November 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- Nothing in common with the BJP: Nitish – Politics News – IBNLive Archived 28 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Ibnlive.in.com (25 October 2010). Retrieved on 9 November 2010.
- Only NDA Wave Perceptible in Bihar: BJP Archived 6 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine. news.outlookindia.com (8 November 2010). Retrieved on 12 November 2010.
- Nitish Kumar attacks Congress for Bihar's backwardness – India – DNA Archived 8 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Dnaindia.com. Retrieved on 12 November 2010.
- Dunk Rahul in the Ganga, says Sharad – Politics – Politics News – ibnlive Archived 27 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Ibnlive.in.com. Retrieved on 9 November 2010.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Adamant Bihar BJP chief summoned to Delhi – The Times of India Archived 12 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (9 October 2010). Retrieved on 9 November 2010.
- Naxal attack threatens poll process in Bihar – Politics – Politics News – ibnlive Archived 31 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Ibnlive.in.com (23 October 2010). Retrieved on 9 November 2010.
- Bihar polls: 2nd phase ends defying Naxal boycott – Politics News – IBNLive Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Ibnlive.in.com (3 February 2010). Retrieved on 9 November 2010.
- Kumod Verma (1 November 2010). "Bomb explosions mar polling". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Two bomb disposal personnel killed in blast". Hindu.com. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Maoists blast bridge, call for poll boycott in Bihar". Sify.com. 15 November 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- PTI (14 November 2010). "News / National : One killed in Maoist blast in Bihar". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "One killed, 2 injured as bomb explodes inside cinema hall in Bihar – India – DNA". Dnaindia.com. 20 November 2010. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Bihar Assembly Polls | Bihar Election | 2 Killed | Bomb Blast | Defusing Bomb | Gaya District – Oneindia News". News.oneindia.in. 20 November 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Hindustan Times – Archive News". Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- "Bihar polls: Areas sealed in 2 UP districts". Indian Express. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Simmering tension in Naxal-hit constituency in Bihar". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Changing face of red zone in Bihar". Indian Express. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- J. Balaji. "News / National : Most peaceful exercise ever in Bihar: Quraishi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- https://web.archive.org/web/20101127010119/http://eciresults.nic.in/Statewises04.htm Bhihar Bihar Assembly Elections Nov 2010 Results
External links
- Observers list for Bihar Assembly Elections 2010
- Constituencywise Result Status (all candidates listed)