57% voting recorded in first phase of Bihar polls

A welcome fact on these assembly seats was that all of them recorded high voting percentage ranging from 49-59.5%

The 49 Assembly constituencies that went to the polls on Monday in the first phase of Bihar state elections, saw a total of 57 per cent at the end of the day, according to data from the Election Commission.

As of 3 pm, voting had ended in the nine naxal-hit seats — Tarapur, Jamalpur, Suryagraha, Rajauli (SC), Govindpur, Sikandara (SC), Jamui, Jhajha and Chakai. In a welcome sign, all of these Assembly seats recorded high voting percentages — ranging from 49 to 59.5 per cent.

District-wise polling percentage was 49.46 per cent in Samastipur, 51.87 per cent in Begusarai, 57.93 per cent in Khagaria, 45.56 per cent in Bhagalpur, 49.33 per cent in Banka, 54.41 per cent in Munger, 47.40 per cent in Lakhisarai, 50.06 per cent in Sheikhpura, 46.81 per cent in Nawada and 56.85 in Jamui, the EC bulletin as of 3 pm had showed.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshaman said there was no report of any untoward incident.

Khagaria had seen the highest voting, of 63 per cent, as at 3 pm. It was followed by Alauli (reserved SC seat) from where Pashupati Kumar Paras, state LJP President and brother of party chief Ramvilas Paswan is in the fray. The seat saw 60 per cent of its electorate exercising their franchise.