Bihar records 64.46% voter turnout in first phase of Assembly polls

A voter turnout of 64.46 per cent was recorded provisionally at the close of polling in 121 seats in the first phase of assembly elections in Bihar on Thursday, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said.   A total of 3.75 crore voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in this phase, to decide the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates, he said.   Voting took place across 45,341 polling stations, of which 36,733 were in rural areas, he added.   Gunjiyal said that barring a few incidents of "minor scuffles" in Lakhisarai and Saran, polling passed off peacefully.   "Voting began at 7 am and concluded at 6 pm amid tight security. Around 64.46 per cent voter turnout was recorded," he said.   "A total of 143 complaints were received and were immediately resolved," he added.   Gunjiyal said polling was boycotted in certain booths in Buxar, Fatuha and Suryagarha.   The remaining 122 seats of the 243-member assembly will vote on November 11, while the counting will take place on November 14.