First phase Bihar poll kicks off on Thursday

The stage is set for the first of the six-phase Lok Sabha poll in Bihar on Thursday involving six of the total 40 constituencies, all located in the Naxal belt.

The constituencies going to the poll are Sasaram (SC), Karakat, Aurangabad, Gaya (SC), Nawada and Jamui (SC) where the Election Commission has called for deployment of extra security forces.

Eighty candidates, including 10 women, are trying their luck. Altogether 9,781 polling stations have been set up where voting will take place.

While a resurgent BJP is claiming to bag a major chunk of the 40 seats in Bihar, the RJD-Congress alliance and the aliance of the JD(U) and CPI are equally determined to corner maximum number of seats.

The fate of important leaders like the Speaker of the outgoing Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, former Kerala Governor Nikhil Kumar and Chirag Paswan, actor-turned politician of LJP president Ramvilas Paswan's son, would be decided by an electorate of 93,29,760 voters.

Meira Kumar is seeking re-election for the third consecutive term from Sasaram, her home turf which elected her father and Dalit icon Babu Jagjivan Ram for eight times since independence to 1984.

LJP President Ramvilas Paswan's son Chirag is debuting in Jamui (SC) seat and is pitted against speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary.

Of the total electorate, women voters totalled 49,73,691 surpassing the number of males at 43,55,752.