The highest ever turnout of nearly 65 per cent was recorded during the first phase of polling for 121 seats in Bihar assembly elections on Thursday. Begusarai topped the list with a turnout of 68 pc, while Sheikhpura recorded the lowest 54 per cent turnout.
Eleven to fourteen per cent more voting was recorded this time compared to last assembly polls in Begusarai, Gopalganj, Madhepura, Munger and Samastipur.
There was not a single incident of violence during polling. However, there were incidents of minor clashes and quarrels between workers, candidates and leaders.
Lakhs of women stood in queues outside polling booths to cast their votes. India TV reporters spoke to women voters and others belonging to different castes and religion.
The ground reports from our reporters make some points clear.
One, most of the women voters were openly expressing their likes for Modi-Nitish combine, while Yadav and Muslim voters appeared to be supporting the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan alliance. Those from extremely backward classes and scheduled castes said they were happy with the free ration being doled out and with several other welfare schemes of the government.
The impression that our reporters got was, upper caste voters were more or less in favour of BJP and its allies, because of Hindutva line. No anger or dissatisfaction towards Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was noticed among most of the voters.
As far as Prashant Kishor is concerned, voters said, they knew about him, his party and his policies, but nobody can say for sure how many votes his Jan Suraaj Party candidates may get.

What World Cup winners told Modi

The World Cup winning Indian women’s cricket team met President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday.
The players displayed their trophy to the President, who congratulated them on their historic win. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur gifted a jersey signed by all Team India players to the President. Murmu said, this win will surely inspire crores of daughters in India to come out and play cricket.
The meeting with the President was formal because of Rashtrapati Bhavan protocol, but their tete-a-tete with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the previous night at the PM’s residence was jovial and informal. Modi met the players like a friend and the meeting lasted 90 minutes.
Modi attentively heard the players who spoke about their experiences during the tournament. As players started narrating their dressing room tales, player Harleen Deol asked Modi about the secret of glow on his face. The Prime Minister had a hearty laugh.
Team coach Amol Muzumdar told the PM about an incident in June this year when the women’s cricket team called on King Charles III of Great Britain. As per protocol, the support staff was not allowed to meet the King, but the staff members said they would surely meet Prime Minister Modi and get their pictures taken with him after winning the World Cup. Their dreams have come true, said Muzumdar.
Modi spoke to the players like their guardian. He also gave them some advice on motivation and inspiration. Since he was the host, the Prime Minister took care of each of the players during dinner. Injured player Pratika Rawal, who had come in a wheelchair, was given particular attention by Modi himself, who handed her the plate with food of her choice.
Modi has this knack of charming his visitors with his courteous manners. The Prime Minister had done his homework about each of the World Cup players in advance.
He knew which player is a Hanuman devotee, who lost his father during childhood and who managed to stop the ball slipping from her fingers while taking a catch. His words with a personal touch gave comfort to the players.
The players too opened up and, at one point, Harleen Deol asked the Prime Minister the secret behind the glow on his face. Modi laughed loudly.
Modi told the players that he had seen the World Cup final. His words conveyed the assurance to the World Cup winners that he has a deep interest in cricket, a sport that commands a large following across the subcontinent.
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