Our Correspondents /
Campaigning for the third and fourth phase of Assembly elections in Bihar reached feverish pitch despite Dussehra celebrations. After beef, Price of pulses has become a major issue in the campaign. Leaders of both NDA and Grand Alliance are blaming each other for the price rise in pulses.
Meanwhile CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back ‘purane din’ (old days) of the people, as the Bihar chief minister hit back at the BJP, which blamed him for the rising prices of pulses, and asked why states ruled by it also had the same rates. “I feel like laughing at Union ministers blaming me for skyrocketing prices of pulses. If it was so, the price of pulses should have been Rs 200 per kg only in Bihar… “Why it is selling at Rs 200 per kg in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh?” Kumar wondered addressing an election rally at Nalanda.
Union Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and Food minister Ramvilas Paswan blamed Kumar for hike in prices of pulses. In a bid to present Centre’s stand on the price rise, the two ministers blamed Kumar for decline in production of pulses in Bihar in recent years and also the state government’s failure to utilise “price stabilisation fund.” “Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi and West Bengal which used the ‘Price Stabilisation Fund’, are selling pulses at Rs 120 to Rs 130 per kg through retail outlets,” Singh said.
Slamming Narendra Modi government for “skyrocketing” price of pulses, Kumar sarcastically asked the Prime Minister to “keep your ‘achche din’ with you and return people their ‘purane din’ (old days).” Seeking to make escalating rate of pulses a poll issue in Bihar, Kumar said pulses called “poor man’s meat” has vanished from plate of common man. Kumar, who has been declared as the face of grand alliance in the Bihar poll, also raked up issue of ‘Bihari’ and ‘Bahri’ (outsider) against NDA, which is fighting the elections in the name of Modi, and exhorted people to “bid goodbye to outsiders as people have a better choice in him as a Bihari.”
Facts at a Glance- 3rd Phase – Bihar Assembly Elections -2015
(Phase 3rd, Date of Poll 28.10.2015 )
| S. No. | Item | Number of Assembly Constituencies going on poll=50
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| 1. | Total Electors | General Elector- 14550062 a) Male – 7848207 b) Female- 6701274 c) Others – 581
Service Elector – 35115 d) Male – 23007 e) Female- 12108 f) Others: 0 —————————— Total – 14585177
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| 2 | Total number of Candidates | 808
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| 3 | Total Number of Female candidates | 71
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| 4 | No. and Name of the Assembly Constituency with maximum No. of Candidates | One AC- 183-Kumhrar of Patna District | |
| 5 | No. & Name of the Assembly Constituency with minimum number of Candidates | One AC – 195 Agiaon (SC) of Bhojpur district | |
| 6 | No. & Name of the Assembly constituency where more than one women candidate
| 19 ACs ( 120-Amnour, 212-Parsa, 129-Mahnar, 130-Patepur(SC), 173-Rajgir (SC), 174-Islampur, 175-Hilsa, 176-Nalanda, 179-Barh, 181-Digha, 182-Bankipur, 183-Kumhrar, 184-Patna Sahib, 186-Danapur, 187-Maner, 188-Phulwari(SC), 189-Masaurhi(SC), 193-Barhara & 200-Buxar)
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7 |
Party-wise list of candidates:
| BJP | 34 |
| BSP | 47 | ||
| CPI | 19 | ||
| CPM | 07 | ||
| INC | 07 | ||
| JD (U) | 18 | ||
| NCP | 02 | ||
| RJD | 25 | ||
| LJP | 10 | ||
| RLSP | 02 | ||
| Registered Political Parties (other then recognized National and State) | 354 | ||
| Independents
| 283 | ||
| Total
| 808
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| 8 | Largest Assembly constituency Electorate wise | 181-Digha of Patna District | |
| 9 | Largest Assembly Constituency Area Wise | 202-Rajpur(SC)
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| 10 | Smallest Assembly constituency Electorate wise | 120-Amnour of Saran District
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| 11 | Smallest Assembly constituency Area wise | 182-Bankipur of Patna District
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| 12 | Number of Total Polling Stations | 14170 | |
| 13 | Number of EVMs to be used in the elections | Control Units – 14170 Ballot Units – 20812
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