PATNA, 19 October 2005 — There was no report of any major incident of violence in the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections yesterday. Amid unprecedented security cover, an estimated 43 percent of 12.5 million voters exercised their right to franchise in 57 constituencies under the hawk eye of the Election Commission (EC).
The turnout of voters remained poor in the morning hours despite clear weather but gradually picked up as the day progressed and about 10 percent polling was reported in the first three hours.
The EC clarified that it was on Monday that a CPI(ML) activist was shot dead at Mirchak village under Warsaliganj police station of Nawada district. Yesterday there was no such incident in the district and polling was by and large peaceful.
Only one person was killed during yesterday’s voting, EC officials confirmed. Around noon in the Choram booth in Daudnagar constituency, Aurangabad district one man was killed when some goons tried to loot the booth and the Bihar Military Police opened fire.
Rival gangs reportedly exchanged fire at polling booth No. 139 under Nawada assembly segment. No injuries were reported in the incident. The agitated people later damaged electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the booth.
Election Commission’s special representative K.J. Rao, who personally monitored the elections, canceled polling in four booths of Dumariya (Imamganj assembly constituency) as the polling personnel and security personnel failed to reach the polling booths.
At several places, the electorate boycotted the polls in protest against non-fulfillment of their demands.
In Dumarkala of Sasaram assembly constituency and in Brahmpur, the voters did not turn up and boycotted the polling in protest against their long-pending demands for a bridge not being accepted.
Similarly, the electorate boycotted polling in four villages of Vikramganj assembly constituency as their booths had been shifted to a nearby village, which, according to the villagers, was dominated by `criminals,` who did not allow them to exercise their franchise. Official sources said here that the EVMs developed technical snags at several places following which the polling was delayed. Similarly, considerable numbers of digital cameras could not function. The state administration had announced Rs. 50,000 cash award to any person giving information about the planting of land mines by the extremists.
Three RJD candidates and ten others were arrested yesterday on charges of breaking EVMs and moving with weapons in violation of prohibitory orders in Govindpur, Deo and Obra assembly constituencies. RJD candidate for Govindpur in Nawada district Sanjay Prabhat allegedly broke an EVM machine at a booth at Sighna village in the constituency and also opened fire to intimidate the voters, officials said.
