Voting under way in Bihar amid Maoist disruptions (Third Lead)

PATNA - Voting was under way in 45 constituencies in the second phase of Bihar assembly elections Sunday as Maoists attempted to disrupt polling in two places in Sitamarhi district, officials said.

Voting began at 7 a.m. amid tight security across the Tirhut-Mithilanchal belt.

Maoists tried to disrupt polling in two separate incidents in Runni Saidpur area of Sitamarhi. The rebels abducted four polling officials and released them within an hour.

“The Maoists released the kidnapped officials after one hour,” a Sitamarhi district police official said.

The rebels tried to ransack a booth in the same area as well.

“Maoists tried to ransack a polling station in Sitamarhi,” Additional Director General of Police P.K. Thakur said.

Voters were seen queuing outside most of the polling booths.

“Voters are slowly coming to the polling booths to exercise their right to vote,” said an official at the chief electoral officer office here.

An official source in the state home department said they were tracking Maoists’ movement by using technology like Google Earth.

Bihar police chief Neelmani told IANS over phone that tight security arrangements were made to ensure free and fair polls.

The central paramilitary force personnel will man 85 percent of the booths and officials of special task force would conduct air surveillance from helicopters, Neelmani said.

“Foolproof security was made in Maoist affected pockets in view of fear of Maoist violence,” Neelmani said.

A total of 9,844,981 voters are eligible to vote in the second phase that will decide the fate of 623 candidates. Most of the 9,952 polling booths are in the rural areas.

Balloting is underway in six districts - Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Motihari, Sheohar and Sitamarhi.

The stakes are high for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as well as for the combine of his arch rivals - Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) boss Lalu Prasad and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan. Besides, Congress which is fighting on its own, is eying to make its presence felt in the belt.

The Tirhut-Mithilanchal belt is the strongest base of the RJD-LJP and they will try to retain it.

The next election rounds will be held Oct 28, Nov 1, 9 and 20. Votes will be counted Nov 24. In the first phase Thursday, balloting took place for 47 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats.