PATNA: The voter turnout in the phase one of Bihar assembly polls was 52.24 per cent till 5 pm, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said on Wednesday.
In a break from the past, the CEC attended the poll panel briefing here and made opening remarks.
In the 2015 assembly polls, the turnout in the phase one was 54.94 per cent, he said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the corresponding turnout was 53.54 per cent, he said.
A total of 71 assembly constituencies of Bihar went for polls on Wednesday in the first phase of three-phase elections amid tight security and with COVID-19 guidelines in place.
The polling began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm.
Of the nearly 2.15 crore electors eligible to exercise the franchise, 1.12 crore are male, 1.01 crore female and 599 are categorised as third gender, according to data provided by the Election Commission.
Voter turnout was low in the beginning, but it progressed with the time everywhere notwithstanding raging coronavirus cases in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to follow all COVID-19 norms while going to cast their votes.
“I urge all voters to ensure their participation in this festival of democracy taking all COVID-19 related precautions. Keep ‘do gaj ki doori’ (maintain a distance of two yards,) and wear mask mandatorily. Voting first, breakfast later,” he tweeted.
As the polling began, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged people to cast their votes in favour of the Mahagathbandhan for “justice, employment and farmers-workers”.
“This time for justice, employment, farmers-workers, your vote should be only for ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance),” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
“Good wishes to all of you on the first phase of Bihar elections,” he tweeted with the hashtag in Hindi ‘Aaj Badlega Bihar’.
The 71 constituencies are spread across 16 districts.
The maximum 55.95 per cent turnout has been recorded in Kaimur, followed by 55.44 per cent in Lakhisarai, Buxar (53.84 per cent), Bhagalpur (52.16 per cent) and Patna (51.02 per cent) among others.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh cast his vote at a polling booth in Lakhisarai, while former Bihar chief minister and HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi exercised his franchise at a booth in Gaya.
RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav urged people to vote for a better future, education, health, jobs and development for Bihar.
State ministers and also candidates from different constituencies- Vijay Sinha and Krishnandan Verma- and commonwealth games gold medal winning shooter Shreyasi Singh, BJP nominee from Jamui seat, cast their vote.
Enthusiasm of voters was seen at many a booth. In Nawada, a physically challenged voter reached booth on his tricycle to cast his vote.
In Dinana assembly constituency, a group of women expressed happiness after exercising franchise.
Polling time was curtailed in the naxal-affected areas.
Out of the 71 constituencies, 35 are in naxal-hit areas where polling was conducted in a staggered manner.