Patna/Lucknow/Pune, Oct. 23 -- Polling for eight Bihar Legislative Council seats concluded largely peacefully on Friday, recording a provisional turnout of 43.87 per cent in four graduates' constituencies and 74.55 per cent in four teachers' constituencies. In Uttar Pradesh, voting for 11 MLC seats, comprising five graduates' and six teachers' constituencies, recorded a turnout of 55.24 per cent till 4 pm.
The Bihar Chief Electoral Officer's office said Kosi recorded the highest turnout among graduates' constituencies at 52.51 per cent, followed by Tirhut at 42.15 per cent, Darbhanga at 42 per cent and Patna at 36.19 per cent.
Among teachers' constituencies, Saran registered 87.16 per cent polling, followed by Darbhanga at 79 per cent, Tirhut at 78.10 per cent and Patna at 56.89 per cent. Officials said the figures could change after consolidation of votes cast by electors waiting in queues when polling closed.
A total of 150 candidates contested the Bihar elections, including 90 in graduates' and 60 in teachers' constituencies. The two categories had 4,92,594 and 40,253 electors, respectively. The counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh will take place on October 27.
The Patna Graduates constituency witnessed a high-profile contest amid a rift within the JD(U), with Mokama MLA Anant Singh backing Jan Suraaj Party candidate Anuj Singh against his own party's nominee, Neeraj Kumar, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term.
Supporters of the two candidates clashed in Mokama, prompting police to detain several people. Chhotu Singh, a close aide of Anant Singh, was also detained in Patna for allegedly disrupting peace. RJD workers and Jan Suraaj supporters created a commotion at two polling booths in Patna's Phulwarisharif, alleging forced voting and fake voter entries. Officials denied the allegations.
RJD national working president Tejashwi Yadav accused the ruling coalition of misusing government machinery to facilitate alleged "vote theft". JD(U) leader Shyam Rajak, however, said polling had been smooth and claimed support for the NDA. The Bihar CEO's office said 13 complaints were received and resolved.
In Uttar Pradesh, Gorakhpur-Faizabad recorded the highest turnout among teachers' constituencies at 79.01 per cent, followed by Bareilly-Moradabad at 73.69 per cent. Among graduates' constituencies, Agra led with 51 per cent, followed by Allahabad-Jhansi at 41.40 per cent.
Clashes between BJP and Samajwadi Party workers were reported at DAV Degree College in Gorakhpur, with both sides accusing each other of attempting to influence polling. A scuffle also broke out outside a polling centre in Fatehpur over allegations of booth capturing. Police said the situation was brought under control and voting continued without disruption.
Hoardings targeting Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other party leaders surfaced in Lucknow, Ballia and Sitapur. SP workers removed some posters, accusing the BJP of attempting to influence voters. Police said an investigation was underway in Ballia.
Uttar Pradesh minister Swatantra Dev Singh expressed confidence that the BJP would win all 11 seats. Ballot papers, rather than electronic voting machines, were used in the elections. The terms of the outgoing MLCs from these constituencies are due to end on December 6.
In Maharashtra, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Friday demanded answers from authorities after a video purportedly showed BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade sporting a party scarf while casting his vote in Pune in the Legislative Council polls.
In a social media post, Sule shared the video showing Gawade, the BJP candidate from the Pune Teachers' constituency, questioning whether the incident amounted to a violation of the model code of conduct.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.