Bihar Election Result Live: Apne Chirag Se Bhasm Ho Gaye, Jitan Manjhi's Dig On LJP

The ruling NDA won the Bihar assembly elections winning 125 seats in the 243-member state assembly, while the Mahagathbandhan won 110. 

While the BJP won more seats than the JD(U), the party has promised that Nitish Kumar will retain the chief minister’s post. 

The BJP won 74 seats and the JD(U) won 43 seats. The Vikassheel Insaan Party won 4 seats. This means that Nitish Kumar is likely to be chief minister for a fourth successive term. 

The RJD emerged as the single-largest party winning 75 seats, but the Mahagathbandhan couldn’t cobble up numbers to form the winning alliance. The Congress won 19 seats and the Left parties together won 16 seats . 

BJP leaders began thanking the people of Bihar for their mandate on Tuesday night even as the RJD continued to allege irregularities in the counting process for the Bihar Assembly elections . Hours into the counting process, the RJD had alleged that some of its alliance candidates are not being allowed to claim victory due to alleged interference from the Nitish Kumar-led state government. The party approached the Election Commission in Patna with the complaint.

At a press conference, the poll panel said it was not under any influence or pressure from the ruling BJP or JD(U) government, even as the RJD stuck by its stand.

Here are the live updates:

2:30 pm: Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Dig On LJP ‘Apne Chirag Se Bhasm Ho Gaye’ 

The LJP has only won one seat after it left the NDA in Bihar. LJP’s Chirag Paswan has been accused by many for trying to cut into votes of the BJP and the JD(U).

Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who won from Imamganj, told ANI, ” There’s a saying ‘don’t cut the branch which you sit on’. Same way, Chirag Paswan worked towards defeating the fold he was part of. Result is clear, the branch has been cut, but he also fell... ‘apne chirag se bhasm ho gaye hain vo’”

1:41 pm: Shiv Sena Claims Credit If Nitish Kumar Becomes CM

Praising RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for giving a “spirited fight” in the Bihar Assembly polls, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday needled the BJP saying that if Nitish Kumar retains the post of chief minister despite the JD(U) winning fewer seats, the credit should go to the Sena.

It said that the BJP had promised that Nitish Kumar would be the next chief minister of Bihar even if his party bags less number of seats.

The BJP had given a similar promise to the Sena during the 2019 Maharashra Assembly polls, but as that word was not kept, it led to a political drama in the state, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

An editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said that JD(U) could not win even win 50 seats in the Bihar elections, while the BJP bagged 70 seats.

“BJP leader Amit Shah had announced that Nitish Kumar would become the chief minister even if his party gets less number of seats. But a similar assurance was given to the Shiv Sena during the 2019 Assembly polls in Maharashtra, which was not honoured and the state witnessed a political ‘Mahabharat’,” it said.

(PTI)

12:45 pm: Chirag Paswan Says ‘No Support For Nitish Kumar, Sushil Modi’ In Bihar

LJP president Chirag Paswan has told ANI, “There will never be my support for Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi. If he continues to become the Chief Minister of my state, there will not be my support at the state level...We will continue supporting PM Modi at the centre.”  

12:05 pm: Nitish Kumar Will Be Bihar Chief Minister, Says Sushil Modi

Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi has said that exit polls only confuse people and that the state only voted for development. 

“Development won in Bihar. We were fighting for only development, development, development,” Modi told NDTV and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had worked hard for the development of Bihar. 

Modi said that BJP’s clear decision was the Nitish Kumar will be chief minister despite BJP having more seats than the JD(U). 

11.34 am: ‘We Secured 6% Votes While Contesting Alone,’ says Chirag Paswan

Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan said his party secured around 6% votes while contesting the election alone. He also said that the Bihar result is a “victory” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The LJP won one seat and received 5.68% of votes while contesting on nearly 140 seats. 

10:55 am: Posters Felicitating Modi, Nadda Outside BJP Office In Patna 

10:30 am: This Is PM Modi’s Win, Says Chirag Paswan

LJP’s Chirag Paswan congratulated the people of Bihar and his party workers late last night after the counting was almost over, and said that people of Bihar have put their trust on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Paswan tweeted in Hindi, “The people of Bihar have put their trust on Narendra Modi. The results have made clear that the people are enthusiastic about the BJP. This is prime minister Narendra Modi’s win.” 

Paswan’s LJP won just one seat. 

10:07 am: Bihar Mein Bahaar Ayi, Says Prakash Javadekar

Union minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday that the win in Bihar was people’s mandate for progress of the country. 

Javadekar was quoted by ANI as saying, “Bihar mein bahaar aayi, NDA ne kamaal kiya. The kind of trust Bihar & entire nation has in the leadership of PM Modi - people want progress of the country. They have rejected the kind of politics done by the Opposition parties.” 

9:38 am: Those Calling Us ‘Vote Cutter’ Have Got Befitting Reply, Says AIMIM

Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), which was given tags like ‘vote cutter’ and spoiler in the Bihar assembly polls, won five Muslim-dominated seats on Tuesday and said its critics have got a befitting reply from the people.

AIMIM national spokesperson Asim Waqar said,“Those calling us that have got a befitting reply and their mouths will now be shut in the future as well.”

On whether his party was likely to go with Mahagathbandhan or the NDA, he said, “The decision will be taken by Asad (Owaisi) sahab, but the reality is that our fight is against the BJP and for the country. So the BJP and its alliance do not appear anywhere in our list.”

He said the party workers were expecting such a result as they had toiled hard on the ground for the last five years.

(PTI)

9:25 am: Don’t Let ‘Divide And Rule’ Policy Prevail: Digvijaya Singh Tells Nitish Kumar

After Nitish Kumar looks set to come back as the chief minister of Bihar, Congress member Digvijaya Singh told Nitish Kumar, “Nitish Ji, you Bihar has become too small for you, you should be part of India’s national politics. Help people who believe in the socialist, secular ideology by not letting the Sangh’s policy of divide and rule, practiced by the British, prevail.” 

8:30 am: Posters Appear In Patna To Celebrate Nitish Win 

Posters came up over night in Patna, celebrating the win of the NDA. Some of them read “No Confusion, Great Combination’, with caricatures of Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

And other posters read “Bihar me ka ba... Firse se Nitish Sarkar ba” 

 8:15 am: Modi Congratulates People Of Bihar 

******** Updates end for November 10 ********

11.40pm: BJP Leaders Claim Victory After NDA Tally Crosses 123

The counting hasn’t finished yet, but BJP leaders have begun claiming victory after the NDA’s win-lead tally crossed 123 seats. BJP chief JP Nadda claimed on Twitter that the people of Bihar have rejected “dynasty, corruption and divisive politics”. Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi also said the party will live up to the people’s mandate.

10.40pm: Election Commission Says Not Under Pressure

In a press conference, the poll panel denied the allegations raised by the RJD, saying it was not under any pressure. It also said it may hold another press conference at midnight if necessary.

10pm: RJD Moves EC In Patna Against Alleged Foul Play

Reports say an RJD-congress delegation has complained to the Election Commission against alleged influence by the Nitish Kumar-led administration in counting of votes. ANI has also reported that RJD workers are holding protests outside Rabri Devi’s residence.

9.20 pm: RJD Claims ‘Loot’ Of Some Seats Won By Alliance

The RJD alleged on Twitter that while 119 grand alliance candidates have won so far, the results on TV are only reflecting 109 as some winning candidates have not got their certificates from the returning officer. The party has directly blamed CM Nitish in the matter.

8.40 pm: RJD Candidate Anant Singh Wins From Mokama Seat

8.15 pm: RJD Accuses Nitish Kumar Of Delaying Counting

RJD accused the Nitish Kumar government of delaying counting in 10 seats. The Election Commission has said that there is a delay in counting because of an increase in the number of polling stations. 

At a press conference earlier in the day, Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said the counting speed is the same, but there are more EVMs to be counted.     

RJD also alleged that Nitish Kumar And Sushil Kumar Modi were putting pressure on polling officials to ensure the verdict in closely-contested seats were declared in favour of the NDA, according to NDTV .

8.10 pm: Jitan Ram Manjhi Wins From Imamganj By Over 16,000 Votes

7.52 pm: RJD Says Grand Alliance Will Form Govt ’200%′

When asked if the Grand Alliance will form the government in Bihar, RJD’s Manoj Jha said , “Pakka. 200%”.

7.45 pm: Tej Pratap Yadav Of RJD Wins From Hasanpur

Tej Pratap Yadav won by a vote margin of over 21,000. 

7.21 pm: Election Commission Declares Results Of 33 Seats

The Election Commission has declared the results of 33 seats and the election results are only expected later today. The poll body said results will come late night and counting is still going on. 

The BJP has won 11 seats and is leading in 62 while the RJD has won 8 and is leading in 69.  

7:11 pm: Election Commission Numbers Show Close Race Between NDA, Mahagathbandhan

As of 7:00 pm, the Election Commission numbers projected, the NDA numbers shrunk a little — 118.  The BJP has won 9 seats and leading in 63 (72), the JD(U) has won 5 seats and leading in 36 (41) and the Vikassheel Insaan Party has won 2 and leading in 3 (5)

Meanwhile the Mahagathbandhan was projected to win 114 seats. The RJD has won 8 and leading in 68 (76), the Congress has won 2 and leading in 18 (20) and the left parties are projected to win 18 seats. 

6:40 pm: Election Commission Says 2.7 Cr Of 4.11 Cr Votes Counted Till 5:30 pm. 

Looks like Bihar counting is only half-way through. As of 5:30 pm, the Election Commission of India has said, 2.7 crores out of total 4.11 crore votes have been counted. 

The Election Commission has said multiple times during the day that the results will come late in the night. 

6:10 pm: Results Will Come Late Tonight, Says EC

The Election Commission held a second press conference on Tuesday said it will take longer than usual because of the precautions taken because of Covid-19. It said the results will come later tonight.  

EC general secretary said, “EC has directed that officials need not be in haste or hurry to declare results, they should take as much time as naturally required.” 

The Hindu reported the EC as saying that the next round of counting will be at 10 pm. 

5:50 pm: RJD Says ‘Our Realtime Data Show We’re Ahead In 84 Seats’ 

The RJD has said in a tweet that according to its own data it was leading in 84 seats. 

The RJD said, “In many places postal ballots have not been counted.” 

It asked its workers to stay put till the end. 

5:35 pm: Poorest Of Poor Were Taken Care Of, Says BJP’s Tejasvi Surya On Bihar 

BJP’s Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya has said in a tweet that BJP’s good performance in Bihar was because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

He said in the tweet, “BJP’s victory in Bihar is vindication of PM
Narendra Modi’s good governance, especially during COVID-19. Poorest of poor were taken care of by the government. That Bihar didn’t slip back to Jungle Raj is very important for India. Thank every Bihari for trusting NDA again.” 

5:32 pm: Celebrations In BJP HQ

5:30 pm: Congress Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Blames ‘Vote Cutter’  AIMIM For Poor Performance

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has blamed Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM for its poor performance in the Bihar elections. 

Chowdhury told ANI, “BJP’s tact of using (Asaduddin) Owaisi Sahab’s party in the Bihar elections has succeeded to an extent. All secular parties should be alert about vote cutter Owaisi Sahab.” 

The Congress is leading in 19 seats and has won 1 seat. 

5:08 pm: BJP, JD(U), RJD Win 2 Seats Each So Far, BJP Set To Emerge As Single Largest Party

The BJP, JD(U) and RJD have officially won 2 seats each. But the BJP is leading on 73 more seats and JD(U) in 40. The RJD is leading in 69 seats. 

If the current numbers hold the NDA will have an easy win with the BJP as the single-largest party. 

4:50 pm: BJP’s First Win — Ram Chandra Prasad from Hayaghat

BJP’s Ram Chandra Prasad has won from Hayaghat with a margin of 10,252. 

While Prasad received 66,928 votes, the trailing candidate, RJD’s Bhola Yadav, won 56,508

4:43 pm: JD(U)’s Ashok Kumar Chodhary Wins Sakra 

Ashok Kumar Chodhary has won the elections from Sakra, he contested on a JD(U) ticket. He won by a margin of 1,537 votes against Congress’s Umesh Kumar Ram. 

4:31 pm: JD(U)’s Shashibhushan Hajari Wins Kusheshwar Asthan

In the second win declared by the Election Commission, the JD(U)’s Shashibhushan Hajari has won from Kusheshwar Asthan. He won by a margin of 7,376 votes against Congress’s Dr Ashok Kumar. 

Hajari won 53,952 votes while Kumar won 46,576 votes. 

The JD(U) is now leading in 44 seats. 

4:17 pm: Mahagathbandhan Will Form Govt, Says RJD

The RJD, despite trends showing the BJP taking the lead, has said in a tweet that they will form government in Bihar. 

“We are in touch with candidates and workers across the state and the information coming from all districts is in our favour,” the RJD said in a statement. 

“Counting will go on till late in the night. The Mahagathbandhan will form government. All candidates and counting agents should remain in the counting centres till counting is over,” the tweet said. 

4:05 pm: BJP Headquarters Being Prepared For Celebrations

NDTV says the BJP headquarters in Delhi are being reading for celebrations. 

If EC trends are to be considered so far, BJP will emerge as the single-largest party. The party is now leading in 77 seats. 

3:54 pm: RJD’s Lalit Yadav Wins Darbhanga Rural In First Seat Called By EC 

RJD’s Lalit Yadav has won the Darbhanga Rural seat by a margin of 2,019 votes, in the first win called by the EC. 

RJD is now leading in 62 seats. 

Faraz Fathmi of JD(U) was the main contender against Yadav. While Yadav won 64,694 votes, Fathmi won 62,675.

3:10 pm: ‘Like A T-20 Match, Result Only After Last Ball,’ Says RJD

“It’s like a T-20 match. The result will be decided only when the last ball of the match is bowled,” Bihar RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari told The Indian Express. 

3.04 pm: Election Commission Trends At 3 pm

BJP is leading in 73 seats, Congress in 21, JD(U) in 49 and RJD in 66. 

2.50 pm: Jitan Ram Manjhi Leads In Imamganj

Former Bihar chief minister Manjhi, who was earlier trailing in Imamganj, is leading now by a margin of 7,300 votes.  

2:21 pm: RJD Says ‘See You In A Few Hours’

Even as early trends have brought in bad news for the Mahagathbandhan, the RJD has said “see you in a few hours”. 

“We will see you in a few hours and will prove that we did what we had said,” RJD MP Manoj Jha told ANI.

2:20 pm: Celebrations In BJP Office

ANI tweeted photos of celebrations at the BJP office in Patna after the latest trends. 

According to latest EC figures the NDA is leading in 127 seats — BJP is leading in 73 seats, JD(U) in 48 and Vikassheel Insaan Party in 6. 

The Mahagathbandhan is leading in 104 — RJD is leading in 67 seats, Congress in 19 and Left in 18. 

1:45 pm: Counting Not Slow, No Doubt On Integrity Of EVMs, Says EC

Chandrabhushan Kumar, deputy election commissioner, said in a press conference, that counting of votes were not slow, but there were more EVMs so counting may take longer. 

“Postal ballots have also increased. We have set up more counting centres keeping this in mind,” he said. 

On statements of EVM hacking, Sudeep Jain, deputy election commissioner, said that EVMs were tamper proof. “There is no doubt on the integrity of EVMs,” he said. 

1:40 pm: EC Says Over 1 Crore Votes Counted

The Election Commission has now said over 1 crore votes have been counted so far. And because of Covid-19 there was a 63% increase in number of polling booths.

There will be 35 rounds of counting, said Chandrabhushan Kumar, deputy election commissioner in a press conference. 

He said that because of Covid, there are more locations for counting.  

Kumar said that postal ballots received at centres till 8 am today will be counted. 

1:15 pm: Only 92 Lakh Of 4.10 Cr Votes Cast Have Been Counted, Says Bihar CEO HR Srinivas

1:10 pm: Only 20% Of Votes Have Been Counted So Far, Says EC

 Bihar’s chief electoral officer HR Srinivas told The Hindu’s political editor Nistula Hebbar that counting could take place till ‘late evening’. 

He said that only 20% of votes have been counted and 3 crore votes are still to be counted. 

12.58 pm: Only 20% votes counted, counting to go on till late evening, says EC

Bihar EC HR Srinivas said counting of votes will take place till ‘late evening’.

“Only about 80 lakhs (around 20%) votes counted till now and over 3 crore votes still to be counted,” he said at a press conference.

12:35 pm: Congress Leaders Udit Raj Alleges ‘EVM Hack’ As NDA Leads

As NDA goes head of the Mahagathbandhan, Congress leader Udit Raj has now indicated that EVMs may be hacked. 

He took to Twitter to say, “If devices being sent to Mars and the Moon can be controlled from Earth, then can EVMs not be hacked?” 

Raj also said, “If the US held elections through EVMs, would Trump have lost?” 

12:20 pm: NDA Continues To Trudge Ahead Of Mahagathbandhan 

The NDA continued to trudge ahead of the Mahagathbandhan with BJP leading in leading in 72 seats, JD(U) in 47 seats and Vikassheel Insaan Party in 7 making the total 126 seats (past the halfway mark.)

The Mahagathbandhan is, meanwhile, leading in 102 seats with RJD leading in 62, Congress in 21 and Left parties in 19 seats. 

12:05 pm: EC Numbers Project BJP As Single Largest Party

The BJP is leading in 73 seats, RJD in 60, JD(U) in 47, Congress in 21 and LJP in 5 pm. 

11:55 am: Now Tej Pratap Yadav Leads In Hasanpur 

RJD’s Tej Pratap Yadav, who was trailing earlier, is now leading with 13,153 votes, while his main opponent Raj Kumar Ray of the JD(U) is trailing with 10,511 votes. 

11:45 am: BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh Tells NDTV ‘LJP Cutting Into JD(U) Votes’

BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh tells NDTV, “We have assured that we will form the government in Bihar, despite what exit polls said, because we worked on the ground.” 

On JD(U) losing seats this time, Singh said that it was not a big drop in popularity of Nitish Kumar, but “cut in votes” because of LJP.

“In Arariya, JD(U) and LJP are both contesting. We are seeing nuksan because of that,” Singh said. 

“The work we have seen under Nitishji’s lead, and the effect of Modiji is working,” Singh said. 

11:40 am: BJP’s Kailash Vijayvargiya Says ‘It’s Modi Magic’ 

BJP’s Kailash Vijayvargiya says it is too early to say anything, but “Yeh Modiji ka jadu hai (This is Modi magic).” 

He says even though the JD(U) numbers are lower, it is likely that Nitish Kumar will remain chief minister if the NDA comes to power. 

11:30 am: BJP Leads In 70 Seats, JD(U) In 48, RJD In 62

The BJP is surging ahead of the RJD, according to EC numbers. The BJP is leading in 70 seats, while the RJD is leading in 62 seats as of 11:30 am. 

JD(U) is leading in 48 seats and the Congress in 20.

11:28 am: RJD’s Don Anant Singh Leads In Mokama

RJD’s Don Anant Singh is leading with 2,305 votes as of 11 am. He is contesting against JD(U)’s Rajiv Lochan Narayan Singh, who won 1,146 votes so far. 

Read: 

11:00 am: Luv Sinha Trails In Bankipur 

Luv Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha’s son, who contested on a Congress ticket from Bankipur is trailing having received only 1,097. BJP’s Nitin Nabin is leading with 2,385 votes. 

Read more:

10:55 am: ‘Tejashwi Bhava, Bihar’ Tejpratap Wishes Brother 

 10:50 am: It’s Not Over Till It’s Over: Amit Malviya On Bihar

 BJP IT Cells chief Amit Malviya said on Tuesday that the BJP was doing very well in Bihar. 

He said, “It is doing much better than what the exit polls had predicted... It is not over till its over.” 

10:45 am: Tejashwi Yadav Lead In Raghopur With Small Margin 

Tejashwi Yadav, who has been the face of the RJD in the run up to the Bihar elections, is leading from Raghopur with a small margin. 

He has received 2,445 so far, while BJP’s Satish Kumar has received 1,990 votes. 

10:40 am: Jitan Ram Manjhi Trailing In Imamganj 

Numbers from Election Commission show that former Bihar chief minister, Jitan Ram Manjhi, is trailing in Imamganj with only 3,815 votes. Meanwhile RJD’s Uday Narayan Choudhary is leading with 5,822 votes. 

Read more here:

10:15 am: Tejpratap Trails In Hasanpur, Show EC Numbers 

RJD’s Tejpratap Yadav and brother of Tejashwi is trailing from Hasanpur with 1,755 votes. JD(U)’s Raj Kumar Ray is leading with 3,120 votes. 

Read more here

10:06 am: BJP’s Shreyasi Singh Leads In Jamui 

Ace shooter and BJP candidate Shreyasi Singh is leading from the Jamui constituency, according to early trends on the Election Commission’s website.

She has received 4,895, while her main opponent Vijay Prakash of RJD has so far received 2,465 votes. 

Read more: 

9:50 am: JD(U)‘s KC Tyagi Says ‘We Welcome People’s Mandate’ 

KC Tyagi, a Rajya Sabha MP, and general secretary of the JD(U) already accepted defeat. “It is not RJD that defeated us but other factors,” he told NDTV. He mentioned the bad economy and the Covid-19 pandemic. 

He said, “We welcome people’s mandate.” 

“Only because of Covid,” he said. 

9:30 am: EC Numbers Show BJP Surging Ahead In Leads 

9:12 am BJP Leads In 8 Seats, JD(U) In 3, RJD In 3 

According to latest numbers from the Election Commission, the BJP is leading in 8 seats, the JD(U) in 3 and RJD in 3. 

The Congress is leading in one seat. 

8.27 am: Early trends

Early trends reported by NDTV put the Mahagathbandhan ahead in 36 sets and the NDA in 34.

Hindustan Times also puts the Grand Alliance ahead with leads in 30 seats and NDA leads in 20.

Meanwhile, News18 Bihar Jharkhand shows the Mahagathbandhan leading in 29 seats while NDA leads in 27.

Background

In 2015, BJP had won 53 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly while JD(U) managed to get 71. RJD won 80 seats and Congress got 27.

The LJP leaving the NDA is said to have beaten the prospects of JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar returning as the chief minister of the state for the fourth time in a row. While LJP chief Chirag Paswan has repeatedly hinted support for the BJP, he has also attacked Kumar saying he will never be able to come to power again. 

During the third phase of polling, Paswan had said , “I have worked on the ground, working hard for the party all alone. One thing is clear, both the phases have confirmed this thing and the third phase will put a final stamp on it, that Nitish Kumar will never become the Chief Minister again.” 

India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicted that the LJP has possibly cut into the votes of the JD(U) by splitting “by splitting the SC-Paswan and the upper caste votes”. The party had fielded candidates across Bihar against the JD(U). 

Counting centres and security

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has said that a maximum of three counting centres each have been set up in four districts of East Champaran (which has 12 assembly constituencies), Gaya (10 constituencies), Siwan (eight constituencies) and Begusarai (seven). Other districts either have one or two counting centres each.

In Patna, PTI reported, votes for all the 14 assembly constituencies will be counted at just one centre set up at A.N. College. There will be 30 counting halls at the college.

Bihar Chief Electoral Officer HR Srinivasa said the Election Commission has established a three-tier security system for strong rooms (housing the Electronic Voting Machines) and the counting centres.

The inner core is being guarded by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), then there is the Bihar Military Police (BMP) and then the district police, he told reporters.

“We have deployed 19 companies of CAPF just for the security of the strong rooms and counting centres. Besides, we have 59 CAPF companies to ensure law and order during and in the aftermath of the counting process,” he said.

One CAPF company comprises around 100 personnel.

The CEO said the Election Commission will strictly deal with any “anti-social” elements who indulges in “hooliganism” during or in the aftermath of the counting.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Jitendra Kumar said CCTV cameras have been installed in the control rooms.

“Their display is in the District Election Officers offices. And they are also being monitored regularly by the Chief Electoral Officer,” he said.

Two counting centres in Bhagalpur district — Government Polytechnic College, Barari and Women’s ITI — will count votes for seven assembly seats. Display screens have been set up and two tents erected at each counting centre for journalists and security personnel. Arrangements are being made to put seven tables in each of the 14 halls.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) have been imposed in and around the counting centres to prevent gathering of people.

In Bhojpur district, the votes for all the seven assembly constituencies will be counted at one centre at the Bazar Samiti Godown in Arrah.

Safety from Covid-19

PTI reported that the EC has taken steps to ensure that guidelines are strictly followed during the counting. Every counting centre will have adequate amounts of sanitisers and face masks have been made mandatory.