Bihar polls: Kanhaiya Kumar urges people to channel discontent into change by casting votes

Begusarai, Nov 6 As the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections is underway, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday urged voters to transform their dissatisfaction with the government into a movement for change through the power of their votes.

Speaking to IANS, Kanhaiya Kumar said, “In a democracy, the first responsibility of every citizen is to participate in this important process. I appeal to all voters in Bihar to prioritise the first phase of voting above everything else. The people we have interacted with are expressing frustration and dissatisfaction with the current government. We urge them to channel this discontent into change by casting their votes.”

Earlier in the day, Kanhaiya Kumar also posted on the social media platform X, saying, “I contributed to changing Bihar. I voted for education, health, jobs, and participation. You too should vote for the Mahagathbandhan to change Bihar and defeat those looting the state.”

Meanwhile, the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began with over 3.75 crore voters deciding the fate of candidates in 121 constituencies out of the total 243 seats. This initial phase is significant, especially for the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), which had won 63 of these seats in the 2020 polls. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) -- comprising the BJP and the Janata Dal(United) -- had secured 55 seats in the same constituencies.

This round of polling is also important for smaller parties allied with both major coalitions. The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) or CPI(ML), which had one of the highest strike rates in 2020, will have 10 of its 20 contesting seats going to polls in this phase. Of these, the party currently holds six seats. Retaining these constituencies is vital for the CPI(ML) if it wishes to sustain its previous electoral performance.

Within the NDA, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJP(RV), led by Chirag Paswan, is contesting 29 seats across Bihar, 10 of which fall in this first phase. Interestingly, the NDA currently holds only one of these ten seats.

The Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP), now a part of the Mahagathbandhan, will also face a test of its electoral strength. Of the 15 seats it is contesting, six will go to the polls in this first phase. The alliance has projected VIP chief Mukesh Sahani as its Deputy Chief Ministerial candidate, raising the stakes for his party’s performance.

Several prominent leaders are in the fray in this phase. Tejashwi Yadav, the Opposition’s chief ministerial face and RJD leader, will contest alongside more than a dozen ministers from the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government. Among them are Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.

This phase also features several celebrities and public figures, adding glamour to the political fight. Young folk singer Maithili Thakur is contesting on a BJP ticket from Aliganj, while Bhojpuri cinema star Khesari Lal Yadav represents the RJD in Chhapra. Another Bhojpuri actor, Ritesh Pandey, is contesting from Kargahar as a candidate of the Jan Suraaj Party led by political strategist Prashant Kishor.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor