PATNA : The seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha election on eight seats in Bihar on Saturday witnessed a voter turnout of nearly 50.56% till 6 pm, which is about 0.68% less than the 51.24% voter turnout recorded in the 2019 election.
Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, H. R. Srinivasa, said that the Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest voter turnout at 56.91%, whereas the 2019 election saw a turnout of 55.93%. Patna Sahib recorded the lowest voter turnout with 45%. Buxar recorded 53.70%, followed by Karakat (53.44%), Jehanabad (51.20%), Sasaram (SC) (51%), and Nalanda (46.50%).
Reports of poll boycotts were received from four polling stations—two (polling station numbers 106 and 107) in Jehanabad and one each (polling station numbers 01 and 188) in Nalanda and Patliputra Lok Sabha constituencies, due to a lack of development in the area.
Central agencies recovered Rs 3.41 crore in cash and 431,130 liters of liquor during search operations in the seventh phase. A total of 134 contestants were in the fray. Of them, 122 contestants were male and the remaining 12 were female. A total of 1,62,04,594 electors, including 77,02,559 female electors, will decide the contestants’ fate.
Meanwhile, Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, Hindustani Awam Morcha patron Jitan Ram Manjhi, former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav, and Rohini Acharya cast their votes in the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency.
‘Vote first, cremation of mother for him later’
Family members of an octogenarian woman, who died on Saturday, preferred to first cast their votes and then perform her last rites. The incident took place in Jehanabad.
Mithilesh Yadav, a resident of Deokuli village said his mother won’t come back. “Cremation can wait, no the elections,” he said. The family members took an unanimous decision to cast their votes first and then go to the cremation ghat for the last rites.