India’s Bihar State Heads to Polls as Virus Surges, Economy Cools

(Bloomberg) -- India’s eastern state of Bihar will go to polls in October and November, an election that’s viewed as a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity, as the country’s virus numbers continue to surge and its economy is in the midst of the worst downturn in decades.

Voting for the 243-member assembly, currently controlled by a coalition that includes Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, will take place in three phases starting Oct. 28 and ending Nov. 7. Ballots will be counted on Nov. 10, Sunil Arora, India’s chief election commissioner, told reporters in New Delhi on Friday.

Bihar’s incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is seeking a fourth straight electoral victory at a time when India’s strict lockdown and stumbling economy have led to a rise in unemployment in the state and also led to the return of its sizable migrant worker population. He is challenged by a coalition of Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress party.

The Election Commission has also issued strict guidelines for polls, ranging from capping the number of people involved in door-to-door campaigning to allowing online submission of nomination forms and providing voters with gloves before they use electronic voting machines.

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