Bihar voters defy COVID-19 fears to rush to polling booths

Patna: Voters lined up before polling booths to cast their votes in Bihar as the state went to polls in the second phase on Tuesday, defying COVID-19 fears for the second time in a week. Votes were cast today for 94 assembly segments spread over in 17 districts.

About 50 per cent of voters cast their votes till 5pm in the second phase even as voting continued until 6pm. In the first phase 55.68 per cent voters had exercised their franchise in Bihar, which is the first Indian state to go to the polls during the coronavirus pandemic.

A fascinating scene was witnessed at a polling booth in Patna where a young girl rode in on her bicycle caring her grandmother to vote. In Khagaria district, a family carried one of their elderly kin on a push cart to fulfil his wish of casting his ballot. At many booths, voters were seen without face masks and also ignored the advice for social distancing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Nitish Kumar and opposition’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashiw Yadav addressed a series of election rallies in the state.

Modi praised the voters for showing such enthusiasm for joining the democratic process, adding that “the entire world is watching the way you have displayed exemplary courage to reach polling booths casting aside COVID-19 fears”. He again likened the previous 15-year-old regime of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to “jungle rule” and warned the masses against voting for this party.

In Madhubani district, the masses threw onions and stones at chief minister Kumar while he was speaking about employment at his rally. A visibly angry chief minister stopped his speech midway and said whosoever wants to throw things at him are welcome. People are said to be excessively angry after losing jobs as a result of lockdown.

Yadav, meanwhile, said funds would not be a problem for paying salaries to the one million staff and if required he would slash the salary of the chief minister, ministers and other lawmakers to pay the new employees. He has promised to give employment to one million youths if voted to power.