The second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on Sunday — for 45 seats — registered an average 52.55 per cent voting, around two per cent less than the first phase three days ago, possibly due to fears of Maoist attacks. Voting was largely peaceful, barring a few minor incidents of firing and unrest.
Five of the constituencies where voting time was curtailed by two hours after Friday night’s Maoist attack, killing six policemen in Sheohar, witnessed an average 51 per cent voting. The 623 candidates vying for the 45 seats in the six northern districts previously considered the RJD’s strongholds include several local stalwarts among 42 sitting MLAs and three ministers.
The Maoists burnt poll-related documents and EVMs at a polling booth in Runnisaidpur constituency in Sitamarhi district and reportedly abducted three poll officials — Baldeo Prasad Yadav, K.N. Singh and Satyendra Patel. The three were untraced till the evening and the police said amid conflicting reports that a search was on to locate them. Among other incidents, a band of criminals fired three rounds of bullets at Mangraha village in Muzaffarpur’s Baruraj to intimidate voters.