Bihar election 2020

Bihar Election 2020 refers to the state legislative assembly elections held in Bihar, India, in October and November 2020. This election was conducted to elect 243 members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. The election was significant as it was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it one of the first major electoral exercises in India during the health crisis.

The election saw a contest primarily between two major alliances. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], with Nitish Kumar seeking re-election as the Chief Minister of Bihar. The main opposition alliance was the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav, along with the Indian National Congress (INC) and other smaller parties.

The NDA emerged victorious in the 2020 Bihar election, winning a majority of the seats. Despite the RJD becoming the single largest party, Nitish Kumar was re-elected as the Chief Minister for a fourth consecutive term, though the JD(U) saw a reduction in its seat share compared to previous elections.

The election was notable for the strong performance of Tejashwi Yadav, who led an energetic campaign focusing on youth employment and economic issues. The Bihar election 2020 highlighted the political dynamics of the state, with caste and community factors playing a significant role in the voting patterns.

In November 2020, BOOM investigated photos that were being falsely circulated on social media with claims that they showed Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being 'stolen' during the Bihar Election 2020.

BOOM found that these photos actually dated back to the 2019 Maharashtra polls and were taken in Raigad district. The images were misleadingly shared as being from the Bihar elections.