Bihar records 8.14 pc polling till 10 am; Nitish, Tejashwi cast votes

PTI, Nov 3, 2020, 11:03 AM IST

Patna: Around 8.14 per cent of the total 2.85 crore electors exercised their franchise in the first three hours of polling in 94 seats in the second phase of assembly elections in Bihar on Tuesday.

The highest polling percentage of 10.75 was recorded in Gopalganj among the 17 districts where the 94 seats are located, as per the Election Commission’s Voter Turnout App, updated till 10 am.

Polling has been slow in Darbhanga district till now and just 5.79 per cent of its total voters have cast their ballot in the first three hours, according to the poll panel data.

Vaishali district’s Rahgopur, from where RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is contesting the election, has polled 10 per cent votes in the first three hours, as per the EC data.

Hasanpur, from where Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is in the fray, has recorded an estimated 7.21 per cent votes till now.

In Parsa, from where JDU’s Chandrika Roy – the father of Tej Pratap’s estranged wife Aishwarya – is contesting, 6.04 per cent votes were cast till 10 am.

Patna district, whose nine constituencies are going to polls, has recorded a voter turnout of 9.52 per cent.

Prominent personalities including Governor Phagu Chauhan, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi, Mahagathbandhan’s chief minister face Tejashwi Yadav, and LJP chief Chirag Paswan cast their votes in their respective polling booths.

While Kumar did not speak to the media waiting outside the polling station, Tejashwi said after casting the ballot that people are “angry” with the government and they will vote for education, health, irrigation and law and order.

Rabri Devi said Bihar needed change.

The polling began at 7 am, but the time for its conclusion has been extended by one hour till 6 pm to facilitate COVID-19 patients and those with symptoms of the disease to exercise their franchise in the last hour.

Polling, however, will conclude early in Naxal-hit areas.

The Election Commission said voting will end at 4 pm in eight seats of Gaura Bauram and Kusheshwar Asthan in Darbhanga district, Minapur, Paroo and Sahebganj in Muzaffarpur, Alauli and Beldour in Khagaria, and Raghopur in Vaishali.