Fact News Service

New Delhi, November 6: Voting has begun in Bihar where more than 74 million people are eligible to vote in a crucial polls that may act as a precursor to several key state polls.

Voters will cast their ballots for 243 seats in a two-phase election to choose the next state government. Counting of votes is scheduled for 14 November.

The election comes after a controversial special revision of electoral rolls that the opposition alleged would exclude genuine voters and give an edge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP and India’s Election Commission have denied these allegations.

The outgoing government is an alliance between the BJP and the Janata Dal (United), or JD(U). They are contesting the elections again together while India’s main opposition Congress party has tied up with the regional Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and a number of smaller parties.

The election has also seen the entry of a new political party led by Prashant Kishor, a political consultant who has in the past worked with both the BJP and the Congress.

The election is also being closely watched as it might be the last to see active participation from two leaders who have shaped Bihar’s politics for almost four decades – JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar and RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav. The rivals, who are said to be in poor health, have on occasion joined hands to stay in power.

The election comes on the back of a controversial voter list revision carried out by India’s Election Commission a few months ago. The commission released a list of 74.2 million voters in September, weeding out 4.7 million names.

The exercise was sharply criticised by the opposition, which accused the commission of working dropping many voters – especially Muslims – to aid Modi’s party. Both the BJP and the Election Commission denied this in one voice.