Bihar goes for polls from Oct 21 to Nov 20

NEW DELHI: Bihar will have a six phase assembly elections from October 21 to November 20 to pick a new 243-member assembly, the Election Commission announced on Monday.

Bihar is the only state witnessing Assembly polls this year. The term of the 243-member assembly will end on November 27.

This will be the first election after S Y Quraishi took over as the chief election commissioner.

Reports had it earlier that the Government was in favour of holding assembly elections in the state after the Commonwealth Games, scheduled in New Delhi early next month.

The election is expected to be a triangular affair with the ruling JD(U)- BJP continuing their poll alliance and Lal u Prasad's R JD and Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP joining hands to oust it from power. The Congress has announced it would go it alone in the state, unlike in the past when it played a second fiddle to RJD.

Overcoming the last-minute hiccups, RJD and LJP have clinched an alliance and decided to contest 168 and 75 seats respectively.