PATNA, FEBRUARY 17: At least four persons were killed and 10 police rifles looted in the violence-marred second phase poll in 108 Assembly constituencies of Bihar as an estimated 55 to 60 per cent voters cast their ballots, officials said.State Home Secretary U N Panjiar and DGP K A Jacob told newsmen that four people lost their lives as incidents of shoot-out, explosions, booth-capturing and intimidation of voters were reported from several places.Siwan, Raghopur, Nalanda and Masrakh constituencies accounted for one death each, they said adding seven police rifles were snatched at Raghopur where RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav is in the fray, while armed criminals snatched three rifles from security men at Isuapur in Taraiya constituency.A BJP worker, Jitendra Dubey, was shot dead as alleged RJD supporters opened fire and hurled bombs at the vehicle of the BJP nominee for Siwan, Wasi Ahmed. Though Ahmed escaped unhurt, two persons, including a patrolling magistrate injured.One person was killed in clash between supporters of rival parties at Raghopur where seven rifles were snatched from homeguard jawans manning two booths.Incidents of snatching of ballot papers, pouring of ink in ballot boxes and shoot-outs continued to pour in from various constituencies including Nalanda, Chandi, Islampur, Chapra, Siwan and Ara.According to a Biharsharif report, miscreants looted ballot boxes of booth numbers 22, 23, 36 and 57 of Harnaut and Rajgir constituencies much before the polling started.Armed People's War Group activists, who have given a call for a poll boycott, had surrounded booth number 230 of Islampur constituency where heavy reinforcements were being rushed, the sources said.In the hyper-sensitive Mokama constituency, where controversial state Minister Dilip Singh is crossing swords with the jailed underworld don, Surajbhan Singh, CRPF men opened several rounds of fire to scare away armed booth-grabbers, they added.An Ara report said that CPI-ML supporters clashed with activists of the banned Ranvir Sena, a private militia of upper caste landlords at Narhi village in which a CPI-ML cadre was injured.Three persons were injured in an armed clash between RJD and BJP supporters at Nadiawan in Lakhisarai district, the police saidAccording to state's Chief Electoral Officer A K Basu, details of polling stations where polling was marred were being processed for recommendation of a repoll.BHUBANESWAR: Meanwhile, about 55 per cent of over 1.12 crore electorate today exercised their franchise as the first phase elections to 70 of the 147 Assembly constituencies in Orissa passed off peacefully barring a single naxalite-related incident in the face of a boycott call.Official sources said the naxalites who had given a poll boycott call in the southern districts of Malkangiri and Rayagada, forcibly entered two booths at Venkatpalam village in the morning hours and decamped with a ballot box. A few ballot papers had already been cast and polling was suspended there following the incident.Among the 384 aspirants whose fates were sealed today are: Chief Minister, Hemananda Biswal (Laikera-St), Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Sachidananda Dalal (Boud), State Janata Dal (United) president Narasingha Mishra (Loisinga) and BJD vice-president A U Singhdeo (Bolangir).A total of 57 sitting members of the present Assembly, including 13 ministers, were also in the race today.Polling for the rest 77 constituencies mostly in the coastal belt would be held in the second phase on Feb 22.
