57.59% polling recorded till 5 p.m. in Bihar

Voters wait for their turn to cast their votes at a booth in Kurhani Assembly constituency of Muzaffarpur district during fourth phase of Bihar Assembly elections. Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

The fourth phase poll for 55 seats is being considered as significantly the most crucial leg of the election. Altogether seven districts — West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Gopalgunj and Siwan — went on polls today.

As it happened:

6:00 pm: Estimated 57.59 per cent voter turnout recorded in the fourth phase of Bihar Assembly poll today, says CEO Ajay Nayak.

4:10 pm: Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has accused the Congress and the Left of practising “ideological intolerance” towards the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also accused them of trying to project India as an intolerant society through structured and organised propaganda. >More..

4:06 pm: 52.42% polling recorded till 3 p.m.

3:00 pm: Mr. Modi launches a fresh attack on Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar, saying ‘jungle raj’ now has a twin brother in ‘Jantar Mantar’ and together the two will spell doom in the State.

>More..

2:54 pm: 48.37% polling recorded till 2 p.m.

12:30 pm: 35.68 per cent polling recorded till 12 noon.

Pashchim champaran: 40.03%; Purbi champaran: 37.84%; Sheohar: 32.09%; Sitamarhi: 31.33%; Muzaffarpur: 36.97%; Gopalganj: 35.58%; Siwan: 31.24%

(*Source: Election Commission)

12:10 pm: PM Narendra Modi tweets," Atmosphere in Bihar indicates people want change. People are seeing NDA as a ray of hope. Will campaign in Madhubani, Madhepura & Katihar." >Read more

11:00 am: As per hourly EC bulletin, East Champaran recorded 10.09 per cent, West Champaran 13.61 per cent, Sheohar 13.20 per cent, Sitamarhi 9.84 per cent, Muzaffarpur 13.43 per cent, Gopalganj 14.27 per cent and Siwan 10.87 per cent.

10:58 am: 12 per cent turnout in first two hours of voting. >Read more

9:30 am: From the grand alliance, RJD candidates are contesting from 26 seats, JD(U) from 21 and the Congress eight. In the NDA, the stakes are high for the BJP, which has fielded 42 candidates in the fourth phase, while Lok Janshakti Party has fielded five, Hindustanti Awam Morcha four and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party four— Election Commission

9:00 am: About 1.47 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots and decide the fate of 719 male and 57 female candidates. — Election Commission.

8:22 am: Interacting with The Hindu, The other former chief minister in the Lalu family, Rabri Devi, had some words for the NDA government as well. >Read more

8:21 am:The Hindu interacted with the Yadav family, including its patriarch, on the prospects of the Grand Alliance or "Mahagathbandhan" and the ups and downs of the campaign. >Read more

8:15 am: The Election Commission has ordered sealing of the international border with Nepal and while security forces in the districts bordering Nepal are on alert.

8:00 am: Paramilitary forces have been deployed at all polling booths and drones would be used for the first time for surveillance, officials said.

7:45 am: This election will be decided by a large swathe of floating voters, and the outcome will likely turn on whether Nitish Kumar or Mr. Modi provides a more persuasive notion of development. >Read more

7:30 am: In a last-minute effort, the BJP’s star campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressed two poll meetings in Gopalgunj and Muzaffarpur on Friday. “A lot is at stake in this phase ...it will make or mar our poll prospects,” quipped a local BJP leader in Muzaffarpur. >Read more

7:00 am: Voting began this morning for 55 Assembly seats in the fourth and penultimate phase of Bihar election amid tight security arrangements. >Read more

(Photos: Ranjeet Kumar)