Bihar: Over 142 candidates with criminal background to contest in 2nd phase
15 Oct 2015 11:23 PM IST
Fates of 456 candidates will be decided by 86, 13,870 voters on Friday
File photo of voters waiting in queue to cast their votes at a polling station in Samastipur during the first phase of Bihar assembly elections (Photo: PTI)
Patna: The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) survey report has sparked off a debate in poll bound Bihar, according to the ADR survey report around 142 candidates in the fray have declared criminal cases against them in their nomination affidavits.
According to a political analyst in Patna “every political party including BJP and JD (U) are claiming that their agenda is development but this report says something else”.
The report also says that 106 out of 456 candidates have declared themselves as millionaires.
The biggest challenge for the election commission is the security arrangement of all 9,119 booths going to polls on Friday for the second phase of Bihar polls. Though all the 32 seats spread out in six naxal infested districts are considered sensitive, more than 20 constituencies have been declared as ultra sensitive.
In order to manage the security arrangement 993 companies of central para military forces has been deployed across the six districts going to polls on Friday.
Speaking on the issue Chief Electoral Officer R. Lakshmanan said “keeping in view the security and safety of the people voting in 11 constituencies will end at 3 PM”.
Despite constituencies being Naxal infested voters of these areas particularly youths and backward castes which includes EBCs and Mahadalit, have decided cast their vote “for change and development”.
Urging people to vote decisively former chief minister and HAM(S) Chief Jitan Ram Manjhi contesting from two seats, Mukhdoompur and Imamganj assembly constituency made an appeal through a facebook message “please come out and vote in large numbers, we generally see that around 40 percent people do not vote, your vote is important as the chances of winning of any candidate of your choice becomes higher after you vote. Your vote will take this state and country towards development”.
An upbeat first timer eager to cast his vote said “I along with my other friends have decided to give our votes to a party who can give us better education and ensure employment for us”.
Fates of 456 candidates will be decided by 86, 13,870 voters on Friday, while BJP has fielded 16 candidates, HAM is contesting on 7 seats , LJP on 3 seats and RLSP on 6 seats.
The BJP is banking heavily on HAM Chief Jitan Ram Manjhi as the entire NDA sees him as a Mahadalit face. He is contesting from two seats and on one seat Imamganj he is in direct fight with JD (U) star candidate and Dalit face Uday Narain Choudhary. Mr. Choudhary a sitting MLA from Imamganj is Speaker of Bihar Assembly and is also considered close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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