Infographic: How Bihar will vote in five-phased Assembly election 2015

Assembly elections in Bihar will be fought in five phases between 12 October and 5 November, announced the Election Commission in a press conference on Wednesday. Counting of votes will be held on 8 November, just three days before Diwali and the locally significant Chhath puja that follows the festival of lights. The term of the current Assembly expires on 29 November. According to the Election Commission, out of the 243 constituencies, 38 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and two for Scheduled Tribes. A total of 6,68,26,658 voters will exercise their right to franchise in 62,779 polling stations. The battle for power in Bihar assumes significance in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the NDA charge after BJP’s debacle in the Delhi assembly polls early this year. Recently Modi announced a Rs 1.65 lakh crore package for Bihar. The BJP and the ruling JD(U) ended the alliance after eight years in power when Nitish Kumar parted ways over Modi being anointed NDA’s prime ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha elections. Noting that a number of important festivals like Dussehra, Eid, Muharram, Diwali and Chhath will fall in the election period, Zaidi said the Commission will ensure communal harmony and peace. (With inputs from PTI)