“Who is the governor of Bihar?” Social media is abuzz with the question as trends of the assembly elections held in the state were yet to come up a clear picture on the final picture.
Phagu Chauhan (71), with a political career spanning several years marked by victories on BJP, BSP, Janata Dal tickets in the past, is the 40th Governor of Bihar.
A seasoned politician, an agriculturist and a prominent backward face, Chauhan was born in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and has seven children.
He has been a six-time MLA from the Ghosi constituency in UP’s Mau district, and had resigned from the Assembly after his appointment as the Bihar governor.
Chauhan had won his first election in 1985 on a Dalit Mazdoor Kisan Party (DMKP) symbol. In 1991, he has successfully contested on a Janata Dal ticket, while the next two elections -- 1996 and 2002 – he emerged victorious on a BJP ticket. In 2007, he won on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket, while in 2017, he emerged victorious again from Ghosi.
Questions regarding the governor have been doing the rounds as most exit polls had predicted a hung house in Bihar. Also, in earlier Assembly elections held in Goa, Manipur, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, the role of governors had been questioned by many as the saffron camp had come to power despite not having the required numbers. With allegations of partisanship being levelled against them, all eyes are now on Bihar’s Raj Bhavan.
The Election Commission said earlier in the day that counting of votes will take longer than usual and continue till late in the night because of 63 per cent increase in the number of EVMs.
So far, the National Democratic Alliance is leading the race with the BJP overtaking Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD as the single-largest party.