Patna, Oct 23: The biennial election to eight Bihar Legislative Council seats on Friday witnessed 29.32 per cent polling in the four graduates’ constituencies and 57.2 per cent voting in as many teachers’ seats in the first six hours.
According to the office of the chief electoral officer, Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency recorded the highest turnout at 67 per cent, followed by Saran at 58.98 per cent. As many as 5.32 lakh voters were eligible to vote in the polls that will decide the electoral fate of the 150 candidates in the fray.
Among the graduates’ constituencies, Kosi recorded 34.03 per cent voting till 2 pm, followed by Tirhut at 30.8 per cent, Patna at 25.93 per cent and Darbhanga at 25 per cent. As for the teachers’ seats, Darbhanga and Saran were followed by Tirhut, which recorded 52.15 per cent polling and Patna at 51.79 per cent.
Voting commenced at 8 am and will continue till 4 pm. Counting of votes will take place on October 27.
“Polling has largely been peaceful so far,” an official said.
Supporters of JD(U) MLA Anant Singh and the party’s Patna Graduates candidate Neeraj Kumar clashed in Mokama, prompting police to intervene and detain several individuals. The MLA’s close aide Chhotu Singh was detained by police in the state capital for “allegedly disrupting peace and order.”
The contest in the Patna Graduates constituency has drawn most attention following a rift within the JD(U), with Anant Singh backing Jan Suraaj Party candidate Anuj Singh against his own party’s nominee, Neeraj Kumar.
About the detention, the Mokama MLA said, “These tactics won’t work. My people have been detained at several police stations. This will only benefit us. People’s mandate is with Anuj Singh.”
Kumar, a former minister and a close aide of ex-chief minister Nitish Kumar, is seeking a fourth consecutive term in the seat. Anant Singh has extended support to Anuj Singh, alleging that Neeraj Kumar had worked against him during last year’s assembly elections.
“Neeraj has always fought elections on Nitish Kumar’s name. He has got no credibility. What contribution has he made to the party? The party is putting its weight behind him but was silent when he opposed me in previous elections. I am ready to face any action taken by the party,” Anant Singh said.
On Nitish Kumar meeting Neeraj Kumar on Thursday, the Mokama MLA said the JD(U) chief “goes wherever they take him”. He and Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor have been claiming that JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar doesn’t have the support of the party chief.
Neeraj Kumar offered prayers at Baba Parshuram Temple in Barh before casting his vote, while Anant Singh’s supporters burst firecrackers in anticipation of Anuj Singh’s victory in Patna.
JD(U) leader Shyam Rajak, whose party is a major constituent of the ruling alliance, said voting was smooth and that there was a wave of support for the NDA. Party MP Devesh Chandra Thakur, who cast his vote in Tirhut Graduates’ constituency, urged voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers, irrespective of the candidate they vote for.
One of the early voters in Patna Teachers’ constituency, Murli Manohar Srivastava, told PTI Videos, “The biggest issue this time is that of teachers working in unaided schools who do not receive proper government financial assistance. Our long-standing demand has been for a formal pay scale, pension and social security. We have been making sustained and strong appeals for it to be fulfilled.”
The 1981 Non-Funded Education Policy was modified by the Nitish Kumar-led government in 2008 to usher in a performance-based grant system.
Under it, the Bihar government provides post-result grants to private or community-run educational institutions that largely sustain themselves on students’ fees. The staff there do not have a regular pay scale, leading to unstable income.
Srivastava said Yadav has been consistently working on this issue and has even secured an announcement from the Samrat Choudhary government.
Yadav, the BJP candidate from Patna Teachers’ Constituency, has held the seat for the past 30 years. “I thank all teachers for their support. I will not only win the election this time but also ensure forfeiture of the security deposit of opposing candidates,” he said after casting his vote.
Bihar ministers Ashok Choudhary and Nitish Mishra and state BJP president Sanjay Saraogi, along with his wife Shobha Saraogi, also cast their votes in their constituencies.
RJD candidate from Patna Teachers’ constituency, Sanjeev Kumar Singh, claimed that about five dozen STF personnel attempted to raid his residence despite no cases registered against him.
“They (ruling NDA) are frustrated as they can foresee their defeat (in MLC polls). Around five dozen STF personnel reached my home around midnight to arrest me, even though no cases are registered against me,” he said in a video message.
Police had reached Singh’s home on the midnight preceding the polling day, claiming that they had inputs that Singh hosted individuals who could potentially “influence” elections, officials said.
The terms of the sitting MLCs are due to expire on November 16.
The BJP has fielded candidates in four constituencies, including three sitting MLCs seeking re-election, while the JD(U) has nominated candidates for the remaining four seats. Besides Nawal Kishor Yadav, the other BJP nominees are NK Yadav and Sarvesh Kumar, who are seeking re-election from Kosi Graduates and Tirhut Graduates, respectively.
The party has also fielded Narendra Kumar Singh from Tirhut Teachers, a seat currently held by Sanjay Kumar Singh of the CPI, a constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc.
The Jan Suraaj Party, led by Prashant Kishor, is contesting all eight seats. The party had revised its candidate list, replacing Bhushan Jha with Shyam Nandan Yadav in Tirhut Teachers and Ravindra Yadav with Mohammad Imtiyaz in Darbhanga Graduates. (PTI)
