3.7 Crore voters to decide fate of 1,302 candidates in Second phase, Tejashwi, Rahul Target ECI

Bihar Election. (File Image)

After the campaign for the second phase of Bihar Election 2025 ended on Sunday, all eyes are on Tuesday, when voters in 122 constituencies in 20 districts will exercise their voting rights to elect their representatives. About 3.7 crore people, roughly 1.95 crore men and 1.74 crore women, are eligible to vote. 1,302 candidates, 136 of whom are women, are participating in the second stage. The Election Commission of India has set up 45,399 polling booths and deployed thousands of security personnel. More than 500 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces, including CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB, have been deployed across the state.

Tejashwi Yadav criticizes ECI

To ensure transparency, the ECI has made arrangements for the voting to be broadcast on the web. Voters will be able to use one of 12 documents to prove their identity. These documents include EPIC voter card, Aadhaar card and passport. Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticized the ECI for “not disclosing gender-wise data” regarding the votes cast in the first phase held on November 6. Yadav claimed that the RJD-led opposition coalition will not allow “vote theft or fraud”. The claim seems to have gained steam after VVPAT slips were found scattered on the roadside near a college in Samastipur district in the first phase of the survey. ECI has suspended the Deputy Returning Officer (ARO) of Sarairanjan Assembly constituency. An FIR was registered against him.

Rahul Gandhi questions Election Commission

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once again questioned the ECI. “On the one hand, genuine voters were not allowed to vote on November 6, allegedly because their names were deleted from the electoral rolls. On the other hand, there are senior BJP leaders voting in New Delhi and Bihar.” He added: “The Bihar poll is a battle between two ideologies where RSS and BJP want to divide people and we want to unite them. Hatred meets PM Modi who wants to divide society and spread enmity.”