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Over 55% voter turnout till 4 PM in 4th phase Bihar elections

By FnF Desk | PUBLISHED: 01, Nov 2015, 17:45 pm IST | UPDATED: 01, Nov 2015, 17:45 pm IST

Over 55% voter turnout till 4 PM in 4th phase Bihar elections Patna: Over 55 per cent of the electorate voted till 4 pm in 55 constituencies in Bihar where polling is taking place in the fourth phase of assembly elections today.

Stakes are high for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this round as in the last elections in 2010, when it was in alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), it had bagged majority of the seats where polling is being held today.

Here are the latest developments in this story:

Voting is underway in 55 constituencies spread across seven districts of Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Gopalganj and Siwan. Over 55 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 4 pm.
    In 2010, the BJP had won 26 out of the 55 seats, the JD(U) had emerged victorious in 24, Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had won two seats and Independents three.

But the scenario has changed this time. From the grand alliance camp, the RJD has now fielded candidates in 26 constituencies followed by the JD(U) in 21 and the Congress eight.

From the NDA, the BJP, now taking on the JD(U), has fielded its nominees in 42 seats, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in five and the Hindustanti Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) in four seats each.

As many as 1,46,93,294 voters will decide the fate of 776 candidates in fray in the 55 constituencies.

Key candidates whose fate will be decided in this phase are senior minister Ramai Ram (Bochaha), Ranju Geeta (Bajpatti) and Manoj Kushwaha (Kudni). Ramai Ram has won the seat nine times since 1972. He is being challenged by Anil Sadhu, son-in-law of LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan.

RJD president Lalu Prasad's native village Phulwaria in Gopalganj district which is part of Hathwa constituency is also voting in this round. Sitting MLA Ram Sewak Singh has been fielded by the JD(U) from the seat. Former minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Mahachandra Prasad Singh is fighting against him on the seat.

On the basis of assessment of security situation, polling is being held from 7 AM to 5 PM in 43 constituencies, while it has been be shortened by one hour in eight seats. Voting will end at 3 PM in four seats. 1163 companies of Central Paramilitary Force and state police, each comprising 100 personnel, have been posted to ensure free and fair elections.

Voting is already over for 131 seats in the earlier three rounds. After the completion of the fourth phase, voting would be over in 186 seats. The last phase of polling is scheduled to take place on November 5 on the remaining 57 seats. Counting of votes is on November 8.

The fourth phase saw high voltage campaigning with both the BJP-led NDA and the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance accusing each other of trying to polarise voters on communal lines.
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