नवीनतम
Bihar Polls: 60.4 pc turnout till 3 pm in second phase
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Bihar seemed to be heading towards a record-breaking turnout in the second and final phase of the high-stakes assembly polls, seen as a veritable referendum on its longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, with 60.4 per cent of 3.7 crore voters across 122 constituencies having exercised their franchise till 3 pm.
Polling began at a brisk pace, with figures made available by the Election Commission constantly surpassing the same for the corresponding period on November 6, when 121 seats had witnessed, in the first phase, the "highest ever turnout" of 65.09 per cent by the end of the day.
Kishanganj, the lone Muslim-majority district in the state, recorded the highest polling percentage so far at 66.1, followed by adjoining Purnea (64.22) and Katihar (63.8). Voting turnout has also been high in south Bihar districts like Jamui (63.33), Gaya (62.74) and (62.26). Even in Nawada, the district with the lowest turnout, 53.17 per cent of the electors have already cast their vote.
Voting is taking place for 122 constituencies spread over 20 districts in this phase. More than 3 crore 70 lakh voters will decide the fate of one thousand 302 candidates. The voting, which began at 7 am, will conclude at 6 in the evening, except for 7 constituencies, where it will end at 5 pm for security reasons. Director General of Police Vinay Kumar said that, from a security point of view, the borders adjoining Nepal and the inter-state borders with Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand have been sealed and regular patrolling is underway.
The operation of the Maitri Express train service between Jainagar, Madhubani and to Janakpur in Nepal has been suspended till the completion of polling. Election Commission has established a state-of-the-art Control and Command Centre at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Patna to oversee the entire election process. Similar control rooms have also been set up in all 20 district headquarters.
To convey the message of women’s empowerment, 595 polling stations will be managed entirely by women polling staff, while 21 PwD polling booths will be operated by differently-abled personnel. Additionally, 316 model polling stations have been established.
