EC announces six-phase poll in Bihar

New Delhi: Bihar will go to polls in six phases spread over a month from October 21, the Election Commission announced on Monday.

The first phase on October 21 will have polling for 47 seats while the second phase will be held on October 24 in 45 seats.

The third phase will be on October 28 for 48 seats, fourth on November one (42), fifth on November nine (35) and last on November 20 (26 seats), Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi told a press conference in New Delhi.

Counting for the 243 Assembly seats will be held on November 24.

Polling will be held in 56,943 polling stations spread across the state in which over 5.50 crore electorate are expected to exercise their franchise.

The by-polls for Banka Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following the death of sitting MP Digvijay Singh, will be held on November 1.

The term of the 243-member Assembly will end on November 27. This will be the first election after Quraishi took over as the Chief Election Commissioner on July 30.

The election is expected to be a triangular affair with the ruling JD(U)-BJP continuing their poll alliance and Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP joining hands to oust it from power. The Congress has announced it would go it alone in the state, unlike in the past when it played a second fiddle to the RJD.

The RJD and the LJP overcame last-minute hiccups and clinched an alliance and decided to contest 168 and 75 seats respectively.