Bihar Sees 55.45% Turnout in Sixth Phase of Lok Sabha Elections

Patna: In the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, voting concluded for eight crucial seats in Bihar: Valmiki Nagar, West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Siwan, and Maharajganj. By 6 pm, voter turnout was recorded at 55.45%, approximately 3% lower than the 58.47% turnout in the 2019 elections. Bihar Chief Electoral Officer HR Srinivas noted that the final voting percentage will be confirmed by Sunday morning.

West Champaran registered the highest turnout at 59.75%, while Gopalganj saw the lowest at 50.70%. Voting in some assemblies of Valmiki Nagar ended at 4 pm, with the rest continuing until 6 pm.

Incidents of electoral malpractice were reported, with police detaining an individual in Bagaha for distributing money. The accused is allegedly close to the RJD candidate. In Gopalganj, four people were detained for crowding a polling booth.

In a heartening moment, an elderly couple over 100 years old arrived in Vaishali to cast their vote, accompanied by a band to raise awareness among voters. Hina Shahab, an independent candidate from Siwan, cast her vote early in the morning, expressing confidence in ongoing public support. Other prominent leaders, including MP Radhamohan Singh from Motihari and Sanjay Jaiswal from Bettiah, also participated in the voting.

A total of 14,932,165 voters were eligible to vote in this phase, comprising 7,823,793 male voters and 7,107,944 female voters, along with 428 third-gender voters.

The sixth phase was significant for several high-profile candidates, including Lovely Anand, wife of the notorious Bahubali Munna Shukla, senior BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh, and Sanjay Jaiswal. Their electoral fate now rests in the ballot boxes.