12 Bihar ministers among 1,302 candidates entering last-lap fight

PATNA: Final showdown set as Bihar goes to polls Tuesday in a climactic second phase that will seal the fate of 1,302 candidates - among them 12 cabinet ministers, state Congress chief Rajesh Ram, a former deputy CM and 30 former ministers.

More than 3.7 crore voters are expected at 45,399 stations after a record 65% turnout in the first phase on Nov 6. Chief electoral officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said polling will be held across 20 districts, with all preparations complete. EVMs and VVPAT units have gone out to teams deployed in 122 constituencies. Six BJP ministers face key contests - Prem Kumar (Gaya Town), Renu Devi (Bettiah), Nitish Mishra (Jhanjharpur), Vijay Kumar Mandal (Sikti), Krishna Nandan Paswan (Harsiddhi), and Neeraj Kumar Singh Babloo (Chhatapur).

Five JD(U) ministers are in the fray - Bijendra Prasad Yadav (Supaul), Sheela Mandal (Phulparas), Leshi Singh (Dhamdaha), Jayant Raj (Amarpur), and Zama Khan (Chainpur). Independent minister Sumit Kumar Singh (Dumraon) rounds out the dozen. Polling districts - West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Banka, Kaimur, Rohtas, Arwal, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, and Jamui - sit along borders with Nepal, Bengal, Jharkhand or UP.

Four dists with high Muslim popn form key battleground Seemanchal's four districts - Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia - with high Muslim populations, form a crucial battleground for both INDIA bloc and NDA. DGP Vinay Kumar said: "Around 4 lakh security personnel have been deployed across state to ensure violence-free, smooth and fair assembly polls." India-Nepal checkpoints, including Birgunj-Raxaul, were sealed for 72 hours. "Various border points were closed for 72 hours as part of heightened security arrangements for polls in Bihar," police said. Former deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad seeks a fifth win from Katihar, which also hosts key contests in Balrampur and Kadwa, where CPI(ML) Liberation's Mehboob Alam and Congress' Shakeel Ahmed Khan chase hat-tricks. Smaller NDA allies face tough tests. Hindustani Awam Morcha, led by Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, contests six seats - all in this phase. HAM controls Imamganj, Barachatti, Tikari, and Sikandra; Manjhi's daughter-in-law Dipa represents Imamganj, and Dipa's mother Jyoti Devi holds Barachatti. RLM fields six candidates, including party chief Upendra Kushwaha's wife Snehlata in Sasaram and aide Madhaw Anand in Madhubani. Congress chief Rajesh Ram seeks a third term from Kutumba. Hisua in Nawada has the largest electorate, while Lauria, Chanpatia, Raxaul, Triveniganj, Sugauli, and Banmakhi each have 22 candidates, the highest field in this phase.