Will Nitish Kumar Get A Fourth Term? Voting Begins In Bihar

The three-phase election in Bihar that would decide if Nitish Kumar gets a fourth term as the Chief Minister, began this morning with voting on 71 of the state's 243 seats. His challenger is RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, whose promise of 10 lakh jobs has proved a huge draw in the backdrop of the lockdown and widespread unemployment. The third factor in this election is Chirag Paswan, the son of the late Lok Janashakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan, whose rebellion against the leadership of Nitish Kumar is suspected to be backed by the BJP. The party is seen to be developing a distance with Nitish Kumar after ground-level feedback that he is no longer a political asset. The election is being held in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic and the Election Commission has drawn up elaborate safety protocols.