In the second phase of the Bihar Assembly polls on Friday, all six Maoist-hit districts will exercise their franchise for 32 seats, where many party veterans are in the fray.
In view of the Maoist threat, security has been tightened while voting time has been curtailed by one to two hours in as many as 23 constituencies.
The districts figuring in this phase are Kaimur, Rohtas, Arwal, Jehanabad, Aurangabad and Gaya.
“Voting will start at 7 a.m. in all 32 constituencies but it will end at 3 p.m. in 11 constituencies and at 4 p.m. in 12 others. Only 9 seats will have scheduled voting from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.”, said Additional Chief Electoral Officer R. Lakshamanan.
A total of 456 candidates, including 32 women, are in the race. As many as 993 companies of central para-military forces and state police have been deployed to ensure peaceful voting. Choppers and drones will keep aerial vigil.
(Photo: Ranjeet Kumar)
Among the leaders in the battle are the former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, pitted against JD(U) candidate and Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhury in Imamganj (reserved) seat of Gaya district.
Mr. Chaudhury had allegedly opposed Mr. Manjhi when he was seeking trust vote for his government.
Mr. Manjhi is also contesting from his present seat, the Makhdumpur constituency of neighbouring Jehanabad district where he faces RJD candidate Subedar Das.
Senior BJP leader and MLA Prem Kumar is in the fray in Gaya town seat while the former State BJP chief Gopal Narayan Singh is contesting from Nabinagar seat in Aurangabad.
Besides, two of the BJP’s possible CM candidates, Rajendra Singh and Rameshwar Prasad Chaurasia are contesting from Dinara and Nokha constituencies of Rohtas district.
Former ruling party Janata Dal (United) Cooperative Minister Jay Kumar Singh takes on BJP candidate Rajendra Singh in Dinara constituency.
Of the 32 seats, the JD(U) in the last 2010 Assembly poll had got 19 followed by the BJP (10), the RJD (2) and Independent (1). But, in the changed political scenario, the JD(U) and the RJD are contesting 13 seats each while the Congress has put its candidates in the remaining six constituencies.
The BJP is contesting from 16 seats while its alliance partners the LJP, the HAM and the RLSP have fielded their candidates in the others.
