Bihar election: Voting for 1st phase commences; EVM glitches reported
Faulty EVMs were reported from Darbhanga, Lakhisarai, Barh, Ara, and Agwanpur, even as the chief electoral officer said they were promptly rectified.
Voting for the first phase of the Bihar assembly election began across 121 of the 243 constituencies at 7am on Thursday, even as technical glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from some places.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh of the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Tejashwi Yadav, and Rabri Devi were among the early voters.
Track live updates of Phase 1 of Bihar assembly polls here.
The Election Commission of India said the voter turnout for the first two hours of polling will be released at 9am.
Faulty EVMs were reported from Darbhanga, Lakhisarai, Barh, Ara, and Agwanpur, even as the chief electoral officer, Vinod Singh Gunjial, said they were promptly rectified. “There are very few reports of faults in EVMs,” said Gunjial.
Polling was being held at 45,341 booths, including 36,733 in rural areas, across 18 of Bihar’s 38 districts. As many as 1,314 candidates, including 122 women, are in the fray.
The BJP and RJD were in direct contests in 23 constituencies in the first phase of polling. In Siwan, BJP’s Mangal Pandey faces RJD’s Awadh Bihari Choudhary. Vijay Kumar Sinha is up against RJD’s Arun Kumar in Tarapu. In Raghopur, Tejashwi Yadav is seeking a third term.
Also read: Yadav brothers, singer Maithili Thakur: 5 key candidates in Phase 1 of Bihar voting
The JD(U) and RJD are in direct contest in 33 seats. About 10 seats feature contests between the JD(U) and Congress. Smaller allies of the ruling National Democratic Alliance have fielded their candidates against the RJD-led alliance in over 30 constituencies.
Around 37.5 million voters were eligible to vote in the first phase of the polls. The second-phase polling for the remaining 122 seats will be held on November 11. The results will be declared on November 14.
