The second phase of voting in the first major state election in India after the lockdown, concluded today (in Bihar polls). According to updated Election commission data, 53.51% of the total 2.85 crore voters in 94 constituencies of Bihar have exercised their voter franchise till 6 pm. Among the districts which went to polls, Muzaffarpur district recorded the highest poll percentage of 54.8%.  The poll fight in this district is unique as it has an independent activist Sanjay Sahni, who has brought improvements in the MNREGA. He contested from Ratnauli and was supported by the likes of Jene Dreze (economist and former member of NAC). Patna district recorded the lowest turnout at 39.65 per cent. Kumhrar, an urban constituency, has recorded just 27.91 per cent voting in total. The ECI stated that the replacements were just 0.36 % in ballot units, 0.37% in Control units and 1.71 percent in VVPATS.

In his fourth visit to the state in recent weeks, PM Modi stated that the BJP-JD(U) alliance would return to power in Bihar. RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s CM face Tejashwi Yadav and four ministers from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet are also in the fray along with 1,447 other candidates. Today voting began at 7 am and continued till 6 pm, unlike in previous elections in which it ended an hour earlier. The times have been extended to facilitate COVID-19 patients and those with symptoms of the disease to exercise their franchise in the last hour.

Polling however concluded early in naxal-hit areas. Voting simultaneously took place for the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat by-poll, which was necessitated by the death of sitting JD(U) lawmaker Baidyanath Mahto. Polling was also underway for bypolls to 54 assembly constituencies in 10 states, including the crucial 28 seats in Madhya Pradesh.

On the second day of the Bihar polls, there were numerous issues related to the unavailability of the names of voters in the list, presence of names in the dead persons’ list and unavailability of the voter’s slip. Voters in many constituencies in Patna had a tough time today in exercising their voting rights during the second phase of polling at 94 constituencies of the state elections. Importantly, many voters failed to cast their votes in absence of their voting slips. Though many of them tried finding their names in the list of voters, some finally found it in the list of dead voters. Many others had questionable lapses in their voting slips. While some found their genders changed in the voting slip, others had their relations changed.

Shambhu Nath Jha, a voter from Kumhrar constituency, said it was surprising to see his mother’s name in the list of dead persons. He said, “My mother is alive and still very active. When I did not get her voting slip, I enquired about it and was surprised to see her name in the list of the voters who are no longer alive.” “Interestingly, my neighbour’s father is no more but he has got his voter’s slip,” he added.

Another voter from Kumhrar, Kiran Devi, said that she failed to exercise her voting rights for the first time. She said,“I didn’t get the slip while all others in the family received their voters slip. It’s been surprising as I have been the daughter of this constituency and have been exercising my voting rights for over two decades.”

Even more startling was the situation for another voter from Kankarbangh of Kumhrar assembly constituency. Praveen Kumar said that his gender was changed in the voter slip. “There is a photo of a woman on my slip,” he said. He further added that his wife’s slip bore a picture of a senior citizen.

Rituraj Kumar, BLO at a polling booth in Kumrahar constituency, said many voters have complained of various kinds of problems in voter slips. He added that these issues are problematic given that the slips are generated in the district electoral office.

While the electorate faced many issues while voting, the leaders in the race are singing their own anticipatory victory songs. Senior Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha stated with confidence that the critics of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will be “khamoshed” (silenced) when results for Bihar assembly polls will be declared on November 10. “The writing on the wall is absolutely clear, the youth brigade led by our very own, dynamic, most talked-about man of aspirations and expectations, Tejashwi Yadav, along with his young team, is going to form the government with a massive landslide victory of the RJD, the Congress and the Left parties,” Sinha told PTI in an interview.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness.