14 per cent voting in first three hours in Bihar

About 14 per cent voting was recorded on Thursday in first three hours of polling in seven Parliamentary seats of Bihar.

Though no untoward incident has been reported so far, voting in four booths in Munger Lok Sabha seat has been adjourned due to suspicion of presence of landmine, Election Commission officials said.

Polling has been adjourned in booth numbers 65,71, 76 and 77 in Munger seat, a senior EC official said. There have been reports of irregularities in EVM machines in Patna, Jehanabad, Munger and other places which were addressed and voting resumed, the EC sources said.

RJD President Lalu Prasad along with wife Rabri Devi visited polling booth at Veterinary college to cast vote. Their daughter Misa Bharti, who is in the fray from Patliputra seat, also exercised her franchise at Veterinary college booth.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi cast vote at Rajendra nagar booth. An electorate of 1.18 crore is expected to exercise

franchise in 11,846 polling stations to decide the fate of 117 candidates on seven Lok Sabha constituencies. Prominent candidates are actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, former Home Secretary R K Singh, Lalu Prasad’s eldest daughter Misa Bharti and her two uncles Ramkripal Yadav and Ranjan Yadav.

42,600 security personnel have been deployed for smooth conduct of the poll including 152 companies of central forces and 42 companies of Bihar Military Police. Two helicopters have been kept on standby.

Voting in eleven Maoist-hit Assembly segments in Munger, Lakhisarai, Jehanabad, Ara and rural Patna would end at 4 PM while in the rest it would be conducted till 6 PM.