Patna: Tens of thousands voted or stood in serpentine queues at polling booths on Monday in the first round of assembly election in Bihar — the country’s biggest popularity test since the BJP was routed in Delhi in February.

Barring stray incidents of violence including the shooting of a LJP candidate who escaped unhurt, the mammoth exercise that began at 7 a.m. was largely peaceful across 49 seats in 10 districts, officials said.

By noon, around 32 percent of the about 13.5 million voters in the first of the five-phase balloting had voted to pick 49 legislators from among 583 candidates.

“We expect the polling figures to go up,” Additional Chief Electoral Officer R. Lakshaman told IANS. He said polling was slow to begin with but picked up later.

According to him, women were voting in large numbers.

Maoists had called for a boycott of the election but it was clear the message had been ignored.

Unidentified men fired at LJP candidate Vijay Kumar Singh in Jamui constituency but he escaped unhurt. Police arrested one of the criminals involved in the attack.

“There are reports of some violence in Banka, Jamui and Bhagalpur districts. Supporters of rival parties attacked each other in Jamui and clashed in Banka,” a senior police official said.

The staggered Bihar election, which will end on November 5, is the biggest popularity test in the country since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worsted the BJP in the Delhi assembly election in February.

The BJP-led NDA alliance, also including three other parties including the LJP, is trying to dislodge the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U), which has the RJD and the Congress as its allies.

Some voters turned up at polling booths even before they opened at 7 a.m.

Voters in most polling booths said they would vote for Bihar’s development.

“It is the only agenda that has attracted me,” said Suman Kumar, a voter in Bhagalpur district.

Another voter, Giridhari Yadav in Khagaria, said he will vote for the Grand Alliance of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Why should I vote for the BJP when we have tested Nitish Kumar? He has constructed roads, provided electricity, and set up schools and hospitals in rural areas,” he said.

Bihar police chief P.K. Thakur told the media here that polling was peaceful, barring minor clashes.

Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nawada and Jamui districts are voting in the first phase.

The second round of polling for the 243-seat assembly will be held on October 16. The vote count will take place on November 8.

Poverty-stricken Jamui, Banka and Bhagalpur are among the 10 districts which are known for high rates of migration outside the state in search of livelihood.

Officials said that voters in over a dozen villages in Samastipur, Bhagalpur, Jamui and Banka boycotted the polls and shouted slogans against what they said was lack of development.

In areas of Maoist influence, the voting will end at 3 p.m.

Some 1.20 lakh security officials have been deployed in the 13,212 polling booths, officials said.

The Election Commission is also webcasting polling from 561 booths.

The heavyweights in the fray on Monday include state LJP president Pashupati Kumar Paras, BJP ally HAM state president Shakuni Choudhary and Congress leader and former Speaker Sadanand Singh.

(IANS)

New Delhi: Of the 583 candidates contesting in the first phase of Bihar assembly elections, 174 have criminal and 130 have ‘serious’ criminal cases – including murder and crimes against women – against them, while 146 are ‘crorepatis’, a recent study has found.

In the study conducted by the Bihar Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the signed affidavits of all the candidates were analysed.

Sixteen candidates have declared murder cases against themselves. Pradeep Kumar of the Janata Dal – United (JD(U))from Warsaliganj constituency has declared four murder charges, while others have one each.

Eleven candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women — ranging from rape to dowry death, while two candidates have cases of causing communal disharmony against them.

“Shakuni Choudhary of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) from Tarapur constituency has declared a case related to injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class (IPC Section-295). Rambalak Singh of JD(U) from Bibhutipur constituency has declared a case related to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony (IPC Section-153A),” the study said.

The five-phase Bihar elections will be held from October 12 to November 5, and the results will be declared on November 8. The BJP is up against the grand secular alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress.

Thirty-seven candidates have declared cases of attempt to murder. Ramswarup Yadav, an independent candidate from Hisua constituency, faces five charges related to attempt to murder. And nine candidates have cases related to kidnapping against them.

Divided on the basis of political parties, the study says the highest percentage of candidates having ‘serious’ criminal cases is from the Congress.

Four out of eight candidates have serious criminal cases registered against them. Around 37% of BJP candidates, 38% of JD(U)candidates and 35% of RJD candidates have serious criminal cases registered against them.

The financial status of the candidates were also analysed in the study, and it was found that 19 of the 24 JD(U) candidates are crorepatis. Congress candidates were a close second with six out of their eight candidates in the list.

(Agencies)