Flood-hit stream into booths

The third phase of parliamentary elections to 11 constituencies in Bihar went off peacefully,barring a stray incident of a home guard jawan....

The third phase of parliamentary elections to 11 constituencies in Bihar went off peacefully,barring a stray incident of a home guard jawan suffering injuries at a Katehar booth after police resorted to firing in the air to disperse an agitated crowd. Six policemen and an electoral officer were killed in the first two phases in the state. Forty-eight per cent polling was recorded in this phase as against 46 and 44 per cent in the first and second phase respectively.

People boycotted elections at over a dozen booths at Munger,Kisanganj and Araria whereas half a dozen booths witnessed little or no polling because of the Naxal diktat to boycott the election. Voters in the flood-affected regions of Madhepura and Supaul,where over 50 per cent of the youth has migrated to other states in order to support their families since the flood,were surprisingly enthusiastic about the polling process.

Bihar police spokesperson Additional Director General of Police Neelmani said there had been no reports of casualties. There have been stray incidents of booth capturing attempts,voters and police clashes and election boycott, he said.

People boycotted polls at four booths of Beldaur under Khagaria district in protest against the state Governments decision to not treat the area as flood-affected. People at Suryagarha in Munger could not vote at four booths for fear of the Naxals while a booth in Naxal-affected Haveli Kharagpur recorded only two votes. Voters at an Amaur booth in Kisanganj boycotted polls with the slogan no development,no vote.

The fate of 203 candidates,including nine women,has been sealed in this phase. Key contestants in the current phase include JD-U national president Sharad Yadav from Madhepura,former Central minister and Bhagalpur BJP candidate Syed Shahnawaz Hussain,Munger JD-U candidate Rajiv Ranjan alias Lallan Singh and JD-U rebel and former Union minister Digvijay Singh. Of the 40 Parliamentary constituencies of Bihar,only 3,Patna Saheb,Pataliputra and Nalanda remain to go to the polls on May 7.