57% voting recorded during first phase in Bihar on Monday

Barring a few incidents, the polling in the constituencies located in 10 districts which are affected by Left-wing extremism went off peacefully.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Choubey on Monday cast his vote during the first phase of Bihar assembly elections.

With the first phase of Bihar poll, for 49 Assembly seats completed on Monday, political observers, believed the trend is still going 50-50 for both the blocs.

The first phase covered the constituencies in ten districts – Samastipur, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Jamui, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Khagaria, Banka, Lakhisarai and Munger.

Poverty-stricken Jamui, Banka and Bhagalpur could be the 10 regions, which happen to be is reputed for remarkable occurrences of movement away from the place in quest of vigor.

On the question of ripple effect of the result in the five-phased polls and its repercussion on the upcoming polls, Singh said, “If a party wins the effect is there but the degree may vary from State to State”.

The Election Commission made elaborate security arrangements in all the constituencies.

The second phase of the 5-phase staggered elections in Bihar opens on Friday, October 16 in Arwal, Aurangabad, Bhabhua, Gaya, Jehanabad, and Rohtas districts.

Women outnumbered men by turning out in larger numbers. To add to the woes of the BJP, Bhagwat also raised question mark on the Rs 1.25 lakh crore financial package announced by Modi for Bihar, saying that such initiatives would lead to unhealthy competition among states. This time, the JD(U) put up 24 candidates, the RJD 17 and the Congress 8 candidates.

Bihar, India’s third-most populous state, has never been ruled by BJP on its own, with elections traditionally won by regional parties and alliances.

A total number of 1,35,72,339 electorate will cast their votes in the 49 Assembly seats for which 583 candidates, including 54 women, are in the fray.

Taking about the small untoward incident, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate Vijay Kumar contesting from Chakai constituency survived an assassination attempt while returning from an electoral booth in his assembly segment.

The elections are being seen as a major test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the voters and as a battle for survival for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United) and his foe-turned-ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

Union Minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who led the delegation, said “The Commission assured us that the live telecast will not be banned”.

However there were reports of poll boycott on nine booths, sources said “there was anger among people as no development took place in these areas”.