25.25% voting in Bihar LS polls

Patna, May 19 (IANS) Bihar witnessed a 25.25 per cent voter turnout till 12 p.m. on Sunday in the elections to the state's eight parliamentary constituencies, amid reports of people ransacking a polling booth and holding an administration official hostage for an hour, officials said.

According to the election officials, angry voters ransacked the polling booth in Nalanda and held the Block Development Officer hostage. No voting took place in the booth.

The officer was freed after police intervention.

Meanwhile, glitches in Electronic Voting Machines were reported across the eight constituencies, leading to delay in the poll process in few booths.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modu and former Chief Ministers Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rabri Devi voted in Patna.

Other prominent faces who voted in the state capital include Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress candidate from Patna Sahib Shatrughan Sinha and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti.

Sinha was accompanied by his wife Poonam and his two sons, Luv and Kush.

More than 1,52,52,608 voters will decide the fate of 157 candidates in Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Arrah, Buxar, Nalanda, Sasaram, Karakat and Jehanabad constituencies. Voting began at 7 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m.

Four Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ram Kripal Yadav, Ashwini Choubey and R.K. Singh are in the fray.

Important candidates from the opposition camp include former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is Congress candidate from Sasaram seat and former Union Minister and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha from Karakat seat. The RLSP is an ally of the RJD-led Grand Alliance.

The ruling BJP-led NDA had won all these eight Bihar seats in 2014.