Polling in Bihar peaceful

Voting for seven Lok Sabha seats and two state assembly seats in Bihar Thursday is underway peacefully, an official said.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer R. Lakhshaman said around eight to nine percent of the electorate voted in the initial two hours of polling.

"So far polls are peaceful with no report of violence," he said.

He said long queues of people at polling booths were seen since morning, particularly in rural areas.

Voting is underway in Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria, Katihar, Supaul, Bhagalpur and Banka parliamentary constituencies.

Over 10 million electorate, including nearly five million women, will decide the fate of 108 Lok Sabha candidates, including seven women, and 10 assembly candidates who are in the fray.

This is the third round of polling in the state that sends 40 lawmakers to parliament.

Bihar's most backward pockets with high percentage of poverty, illiteracy and migration are part of the five constituencies - Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria, Katihar and Supaul - known as the Seemanchal region as they share border with Nepal, Bangladesh or West Bengal.

Prominent among those who are in the fray are Tarique Anwar of the NCP, lone union minister from Bihar in Congerss led UPA government, BJP's Muslim face and former union minister Shahnawaz Hussain, RJD's strongman and former union minister Mohammad Taslimuddin, and former MP Ranjeet Ranjan, wife of controversial former MP Pappu Yadav.