Patna: Intense campaigning for the crucial elections to eight graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies of Bihar Legislative Council drew to a close at 5 pm on Wednesday, setting the stage for a high-stakes electoral showdown on Oct 23.Polling is scheduled to take place from 8 am to 4 pm across 933 polling stations, where a total of 5,32,847 eligible electors will exercise their franchise. Among the total electors, 37 are transgender. The counting of votes is scheduled for Oct 27, with the entire election process scheduled to wrap up by Oct 31.The elections span four graduates’ constituencies—Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Kosi—and four teachers’ constituencies—Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Saran. A total of 150 candidates are in the fray, comprising 90 contenders for the graduates’ and 60 for the teachers’ seats.What historically used to be a conventional duel between Bihar’s major political blocs has transformed into a dynamic three-way battle. The entry of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj, which is contesting all eight seats, has completely altered traditional electoral equations. Jan Suraaj poses a direct challenge to both the ruling NDA, where BJP and JD(U) are contesting four seats each, and the opposition Mahagathbandhan.Political analysts view this election as a litmus test for NDA’s capability to protect its strongholds, the Mahagathbandhan’s capacity to consolidate its base, and Jan Suraaj’s ability to establish a firm foothold among the state’s educated electorate.The Patna graduates’ constituency has emerged as the most high-profile battleground in this election. The ruling JD(U) has renominated its high-profile incumbent MLC, Neeraj Kumar, who is eyeing a fourth consecutive term. However, his re-election bid faces a formidable, multi-pronged challenge. Jan Suraaj has fielded Anuj Singh, whose campaign received a significant boost following open support from JD(U) Mokama MLA Anant Singh. Anant’s public opposition to Neeraj has amplified JD(U)’s challenges in the region, remaining a major talking point through the final hours of the campaign despite internal attempts by top JD(U) leadership to defuse the discontent.Adding to the complexity in Patna, the opposition alliance has presented a divided front, with RJD fielding Dilip Kumar and Congress nominating Asadullah Khan. As the state moves towards a strict silence period before Friday’s voting, all eyes remain fixed on how these fractured alliances and the Jan Suraaj factor will shape the final outcome.The opposition alliance partners, RJD and Congress, failed to reach a seat-sharing agreement, resulting in “friendly contests” across four constituencies, namely Patna, Darbhanga and Kosi graduates’ and Patna teachers’.
