An estimated 49 lakh voters in Bihar will exercise their franchise to elect their representatives on 28,865 panchayat posts during the fifth phase of polls to be held on Tuesday.
The panchayat polls will be held in 51 blocks spread over 37 districts of the State amid elaborate security arrangements, officials said.
Election authorities have set up 11,604 polling stations spread over 51 blocks of which eight are Naxal-infested for which additional security measures have been taken to enable voters to cast their franchise without fear, they said.
A total number of 85,403 candidates are in the fray for 28,865 panchayat polls, sources said.
Polling will be held in Naxal-infested polling stations from 7 am to 3 pm, while at the rest of the polling stations, it will take place from 7 am till 5 pm.
Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has decided to conduct panchayat polls in two more phases in addition to ten phases decided earlier in view of complaints of irregularities in the poll process, they said.
In addition, the Commission has decided to hold repolls in nine blocks of Aurangabad, East Champaran and Banka districts on May 21 and May 24, the sources added.
