The third phase of the Bihar election held today completes the state polls for 2020. Till 3 pm, the polls had a turnout of 46% of the total of 2.35 crore voters. By the end of the polls, the third phase witnessed a turnout of 55.22% as stated in the data of the Election Commission of India. This election holds high stakes for the JD(U)-led government at Patna. This is because prior to the beginning of the third phase of the election, there were incidents of hurling of shoes towards the Bihar CM in his rallies as a sign of protest and anger. For the RJD, which had seen enthusiastic participation in its rallies, this election can become a ticket of turning the tables on the BJP-JD(U) alliance, as there has been a constant chain of allegations by the LJP towards the JD(U). It becomes more pertinent as the LJP has stated that it is running alone, after the initial announcement that they are in the BJP-led NDA alliance.  Some have observed that the unpredictability of the allegiance of the LJP makes the election crucial and concerning for the JD(U), as this might lead them to lose the hold over Patna if the LJP sides with Mahagathbandhan helping them gain the majority mark of 122 seats in the assembly with 243 seats. If the RJD-led allaince gets majority on their own, they may not take help from LJP, in which case the party may be left in a political quagmire. The only thing fixed about LJP is it’s opposition towards JD(U) which can be harnessed by BJP and RJD in either getting majority in Bihar or in other elections indirectly like in the case of Rajya Sabha polls.

All through the three phases of the state election, a total of 876 cases of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations were recorded. The state election also saw 165 cases of violations of Covid19 rules through the three phases. There were also seizures of a total value of Rs. 66.84 crore in this poll. The ECI also declared that the replacement rates were 0.45 % for the balloting units, 0.49% for the control units and 1.83% for the VVPATs. The election commission also stated that there were no complaints regarding the VVPATs.

Around 52000 persons have availed the postal ballots as stated by the Election commission. A total of 106515 booths were set up for the complete process of the three-phased polls. More than 5 lakh officials were deployed for the poll exercise,  30% of which were women.

Initial exit polls have started arriving for the election with 139-161 seats being projected for the Mahagathbandhan out of the total 243 assembly seats.