Bihar: 36.69% turnout recorded in 5 LS seats till 1 pm

Around 36.69 per cent of over 98 lakh voters exercised their franchise in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar till 1 pm on Tuesday, an election official said.

Voting in 9,848 polling stations in Araria, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Madhepura and Khagaria seats, all currently held by the NDA, began at 7 am amid tight security and will continue till 6 pm, he said.

Supaul recorded the highest turnout of 38.58 per cent, followed by Araria (37.09), Madhepura (36.84), Khagaria (36.02) and Jhanjharpur (34.94) till 1 pm.

The electoral fate of 54 candidates will be decided by 98,60,397 voters in the third phase of polling in Bihar.

Talking to reporters in Patna, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary said, "I urge people to exercise their franchise in large numbers. People must vote for the overall development of the country as well as the state under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi." Echoing a similar view, Vijay Kumar Sinha, another deputy chief minister of the state, said in Patna, "People must vote for the NDA to protect the country from the divisive forces and those indulging in politics of appeasement." Chirag Paswan, chief of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), an alliance partner of the NDA, cast his vote at a polling booth in Khagaria.

He appealed to people to exercise their franchise to make the country developed and prosperous.

Manoj Jha, RJD's Rajya Sabha MP, said, "People must cast their votes... this is a crucial election to protect the Constitution and reservations and also give employment to youth."