The Bihar legislative assembly election is being held in 6 phases over a period of

one month starting from 21 October 2010 until 20 November 2010 in all 243

constituencies of Bihar, India.[1] The election is conducted to elect the

government in Bihar for a 5-year term. The votes are scheduled to be counted on

24 November 2010.[2] Phase I47 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:

[1]Harlakhi, Benipatti, Khajauli, Babubarhi, Bisfi,

Madhubani, Rajnagar (SC), Jhanjharpur, Phulparas, Laukaha, Nirmali, Pipra, Supaul,

Triveniganj (SC), Chhatapur, Narpatganj, Raniganj (SC), Forbesganj, Araria, Jokihat,

Sikti, Bahadurganj, Thakurganj, Kishanganj, Kochadhaman, Amour, Baisi, Kasba,

Banmankhi (SC), Rupauli, Dhamdaha, Purnia, Katihar, Kadwa, Balrampur, Pranpur,

Manihari (ST), Barari, Korha (SC), Alamnagar, Bihariganj, Singheshwar (SC),

Madhepura, Sonbarsha (SC), SaharsThe following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to

15:00:

Simri,Bakhtiarpur, Mahishi[edit] Phase II45 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:

[1]Sheohar, Riga, Bathnaha (SC), Parihar,

Sursand, Bajpatti, Sitamarhi, Runnisaidpur, Belsand, Kusheshwar Asthan (SC), Gaura

Bauram, Benipur, Alinagar, Darbhanga Rural, Darbhanga, Hayaghat, Bahadurpur, Keoti,

Jale, Gaighat, Aurai, Bochaha (SC), Sakra (SC), Kurhani, Muzaffarpur, Kanti, Baruraj,

Kalyanpur (SC), Warisnagar, Samastipur, Ujiarpur, Morwa, Sarairanjan,

Mohiuddinnagar, Bibhutipur, Rosera (SC), Hasanpur, Narkatia, Pipra, Madhuban,

Chiraia, DhakaThe following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:00:

Minapur, Paroo, Sahebganj[edit] Phase III48 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:

[1]

Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Lauriya, Nautan, Chanpatia, Bettiah, Sikta, Raxaul, Sugauli,

Harsidhi (SC), Govindganj, Kesaria, Kalyanpur, Motihari, Baikunthpur, Barauli,

Gopalganj, Kuchaikote, Bhorey (SC), Hathua, Siwan, Ziradei, Darauli (SC),

Raghunathpur, Daraundha, Barharia, Goriakothi, Maharajganj, Ekma, Manjhi,

Baniapur, Taraiya, Marhaura, Chapra, Garkha (SC), Amnour, Parsa, Sonepur, Hajipur,

Lalganj, Vaishali, Mahua, Raja Pakar (SC), MahnarThe following constituencies would

vote from 7:00 to 15:00:Valmikinagar, Ramnagar (SC), Raghopur, Patepur (SC)[edit]

Phase IV42 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:

[1]Cheria Bariarpur, Bachhwara, Teghra, Matihani, Sahebpur Kamal, Begusarai,

Bakhri (SC), Khagaria, Beldaur, Parbatta, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bihpur, Gopalpur,

Pirpainti (SC), Kahalgaon, Bhagalpur, Sultanganj, Nathnagar, Mokama, Barh,

Bakhtiarpur, Digha, Bankipur, Kumhrar, Patna Sahib, Fatuha, Danapur, Maner,

Amarpur, Dhauraiya (SC), BankaThe following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to

15:00:Alauli (SC), Suryagarha, Tarapur, Jamalpur, Katoria (ST), Belhar, Sikandra (SC),

Jamui, Jhajha, ChakaiThe Banka Lok Sabha seat was also chosen in a by-election

following the death of Digvijay Singh.[6]edit] Phase V35 seats were voted for. The

following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:[1]

Sandesh, Barhara, Arrah, Agiaon

(SC), Tarari, Jagdishpur, Shahpur, Hisua, Nawada, Warsaliganj, Gaya Town, Belaganj,

Atri, Wazirganj, Sheikhpura, Barbigha, Asthawan, Biharsharif, Rajgir (SC), Islampur,

Hilsa, Nalanda, Harnaut,

The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:00:

Rajauli (SC), Gobindpur, Arwal, Kurtha, Jehanabad, Ghosi, Makhdumpur (SC), Bodh Gaya

(SC), Phulwari (SC), Masaurhi (SC), Paliganj, Bikram

[edit] Phase VI

26 seats were voted for. The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 17:00:[1]

Brahampur, Buxar, Dumraon, Rajpur (SC), Ramgarh, Mohania (SC), Kargahar, Nokha, Obra,

Aurangabad

The following constituencies would vote from 7:00 to 15:00: Bhabua, Chainpur, Chenari (SC), Sasaram, Dinara, Dehri, Karakat, Goh, Nabinagar, Kutumba (SC), R afiganj, Gurua, Sherghati, Imamganj (SC), Barachatti (SC

CAMPAINING The General Secreatry of Bihar Congress, Rahul Gandhi is all set to start off with

the Election Campaigning in Bihar. The Election Campaign for Congress in Bihar will begin its

journey by approaching Kosi belt, where every year floods take apart the part of Kosi in Bihar.

Congress in Bihar has chosen Kosi Belt as their first step only to win the hearts of people in majority

from such areas so that the strength in Bihar Congress will gain a good command from beginning.

This year though the Congress party in Bihar dont have high hopes, but they are initiating the

campaign with Rahul Gandhi to get back the strong power of Congress in Bihar again with Rahul's

commendment. But it is believed that the lack of strong powerful leaders in Bihar Congress have

ruined the rule of Congress almost every year. Rahul Gandhi will address its first meet in Saharsa in

Kosi, Bihar where it is recognized to be the home of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee(BPCC).

The region is deemed to have a bigger proportion of people of backward classes as well as higher

classes where the presence of vote will be felt maximum in proportion to whole of Bihar. Rahul Gandhi

will be going solo with the Election Rallies of Congress in Bihar.

Congress Party in Bihar say that even though they have broken ties with Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya

Janata Dal(RJD) under which the UPA Government in Bihar was working, as Bihar Congress has

planned to have a collaboration with the RJD and UPA of Bihar. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi

will follow up with a visit to Samastipur on the same day after he visits Kosi. Rahul Gandhi, on an

overall will handle out 20 election campaigning across the state of Bihar to promote the Bihar

Congress Party on a whole.

C Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will launch the partys election campaign in poll-bound Bihar on

Saturday. Though the partys stakes are not high in the state, Gandhis attempts to revive the Congress at

the grass-roots level and the partys decision to go it alone may improve long-term prospects.

But analysts say the absence of a strong state-level leader will dampen its chances. The Congress last ruled

the state from 1989 to 1990.

Gandhi, believed to be the advocate of Congress going solo in Bihar, where it has been out of power for two

decades, will be addressing election rallies in Saharsa and Samastipur. Both districts are known to have a

higher proportion of other backward class (OBC) voters and a strong presence of upper castes, too.

Congress leaders in Bihar say the partys decision to break ties with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader

Lalu Prasadwho still backs the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centrewill

work in favour of the party, especially among the upper castes and anti-Lalu voters.

Our pro-Lalu stance in the past had done a lot of damage to the Congress in Bihar as people here still have

strong resentment against his misrule, said Prem Chandra Mishra, chief spokesperson of the Congress in

Bihar. The upper castes and the minorities have really appreciated our decision to field party candidates in

all 234 assembly constituencies.

Gandhi is expected to address at least 20 public rallies ahead of elections, expected to be held in November.

We will be able to repeat Uttar Pradesh here, said Congress Shakeel Ahmad, former Lok Sabha member,

referring to the party regaining some of the support its has lost over the decades in Indias most-populous

state.

Political analyst Saibal Gupta agrees that the Congress could improve its prospects, but there is a caveat.

If the Congress re-invents itself as a new partyit has a lot of baggageand project an authentic provincial

leader, it could possibly create a space for he said. itself,

Gupta, member secretary, Asian Development Research Institute, pointed out that it would be a tough

task for the Congress to form an alternative coalition.

Nitish Kumars Janata Dal (United) will continue its coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party, while RJD and

former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswans Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) have announced an alliance. Kumars

coalition of extremes (of social groups) will make it difficult to create an alternative, Gupta said.

But Mishra says the Congress party makes a practice of not specifying a candidate for the top state job.

Lalu and Nitish Kumar proved to be the same for the voters in Bihar. We will fight the election under the

leadership of Mahboob Ali Kaiser (the state Congress chief), he said.

Both Ahmad and Mishra said Congress would strengthen its support base among Muslims and upper castes,

which together constitute around 30% of the total population in the state.

The upper caste community is still apprehensive about (chief minister) Nitish Kumars land reform moves

and Muslims have lost faith in him, said another Congress leader who did not want to be identified. He was

referring to Kumars attempts to introduce land reforms on the basis of a report prepared by D.

Bandyopadhyay, which was later dropped due to protests from within and outside his party.

The report suggested, among other things, the state prescribe a ceiling of 15 acres for all types of land

agricultural or non-agricultural and provide some legal rights to sharecroppers (bataidaars) on the land

they tilled.

The Congress, which came to power in the state 18 times after independence, now has just nine legislators

in the assembly. It won two of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the 2009 general election. The JD(U)-BJP

combination has 143 seats, the RJD and the LJP 54 and 10, respectively, in the 234-member state

assembly.