Over 47% polling in Bihar till 3pm

Undeterred by the scorching sun, 47% voter turnout was recorded till 3 PM in polling for six Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar today in the last leg of the general elections.

Though the temperature reached 43 degree Celsius there was no lack of enthusiasm among voters with Valmikinagar recording 48% voting, West Champaran and East Champaran 49% each, Vaishali 52%, Gopalganj (SC) 42.5 and Siwan 43%, an Election Commission statement said.

In Meenapur block of Vaishali, an elderly woman was seen arriving at a booth in a cart to cast her vote.

A large number of burqa-clad women were seen standing in queue outsides booths in Siwan parliamentary constituency.

RJD candidate from Siwan Heena Sahbab stood with women in the queue to vote.

In Gopalganj, an FIR was lodged against ruling JD(U) MLA, Amrendra Kumar Pandey alias Pappu Pandey along with nine aides for allegedly attacking a voter, Jairam Tiwari, outside a booth.

Gopalganj District Magistrate Krishna Mohan told PTI that the arrest of the MLA was ordered and the police were on the look out for him.

There were also reports of fights between BJP and JD(U) workers at some booths in East Champaran.

Complaints of problems in EVMs were reported from some booths in Gopalganj, East Champaran and elsewhere, the statement said.

Film-maker Prakash Jha and former Union minister Raghubansh Prasad Singh were among the 90 candidates contesting from the six seats.

The Election Commission reduced the duration of polling by two hours in five assembly segments in view of perceived Maoist threat.

Security was provided by 58,000 security personnel.