Anti-Modi polling? Bihar sees around 60% turnout

Patna: The scene was poignant outside a polling booth in Katihar, one of the seven parliamentary constituencies of Bihar which went to poll in the third phase today. An elderly blind Muslim voter had reached the booth with the help of a woman braving the scorching sun and gusts of cruel wind. She was holding the other end of the long baton in his hands to guide him to the polling station. He had a happy smile on his face while walking out of the booth after casting his vote. It was a long wait in the queue but it was worth it, his expression suggested. [caption id=“attachment_1495999” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Voting time. PTI[/caption] “What if I can’t see? I brought her with me to help me reach here and guide me to the button I want push,” he told the media. Call it the victory of democracy. There were many like him who braved the hot weather to cast their votes. Many of them, particularly the elderly, carried umbrellas or covered their heads in towels and turbans. Long, unending queues was the order of the day at most of the polling booths in all the seven constituencies - Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka. Although the earlier phases witnessed a surge in polling percentage compared to earlier elections, today’s turnout was unprecedented by Bihar’s standards. According to rough estimates, the voter turnout was about eight percent higher compared to the earlier phases. Today’s poll percentage appeared to be overtaking that of the second phase in the early hours of polling itself. In the second phase, the polling percentage was 3.72 at 8am, 8.99 at 9am, 13.33 at 10am, 22.36 at 11am, 28.30 at 12pm, 33.41 at 1pm, 40.17 at 2pm, 44.09 at 3pm, 47.58 at 4pm, 51.73 at 5pm and 52 at 6pm, the deadline for voting. In comparison, the polling percentage today registered a rising trend since the morning. It was 4.44 at 8am, 9.12 at 9am, 14.57 at 10am, 23.17 at 11am, 30.81 at 12pm, 36.97 at 1pm, 42.35 at 2pm, 46.55 at 3pm, 51.10 at 4pm, 55.11 at 5pm and 59.43 at 6pm. Kishanganj and Katihar registered 64 percent turnout each. Similarly, poliing was a robust 60 percent in Araria, 59 percent each in Supaul and Purnia, 56 percent in Banka and 55 percent in Bhagalpur. All the constituencies have a big chunk of Muslim voters. Of the seven seats, five were won by the BJP in 2009. These are: Araria, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka. The Supaul seat is held by the JD(U) whereas Kishanganj is represented by the Congress. The BJP had contested the 2009 polls in alliance with the JD(U). It had led to the consolidation of the NDA votes. On the other hand, the Congress and the RJD had fought against each other which had caused a sharp split in secular votes, thus benefitting the BJP-JD(U) combine. This time however, the situation is the reverse. While the erstwhile NDA partners are fighting against each other, the Congress and the RJD have gone to the poll as allies. The turnout, according to poll observers, could be interpreted in terms of polarisation of Muslim votes. It was expected that the Modi factor and the recent public utterances of some BJP leaders would drive the community to vote in a particular way unlike earlier elections, the high polling confirms that, they add. “The people of Bihar are secular-minded and a significant rise in voter turnouts at the polling booths seems to be conveying this. I think this is a vote against fanaticism,” opines prominent political expert DM Diwakar. Politicians have started giving coloured explanation to it already. “The people came out of their houses in hordes to defeat communal forces. They had only one agenda,” said RJD lawmaker Bhai Birendra. State Congress spokesman Chandan Yadav said, “The communal image of Modi stays strong in people’s mind. They came out in numbers to stop him from coming to power.” The BJP, of course, has a different explanation. “This is the result of Modi wave sweeping across the country,” said BJP leader Usha Vidyarthi, adding “there was an enthusiasm among the youth community about Modi and it is reflected in the turnout.” Although turnouts never tell the whole story, some hint on how the Muslims would vote came last week when the JD(U) candidate from Kishanganj, Akhtarul Iman, pulled out of the race midway. The reason offered by Iman was that he sacrificed his candidature to prevent a split in Muslim votes which could have helped the BJP win elections.