Defying Naxal threat, 53% turnout in Bihar phase II-Monday, Oct 25, 2010

Defying Naxal threat, 53% turnout in Bihar phase II

Santosh Singh

Posted: Monday, Oct 25, 2010 at 0223 hrs IST

Updated: Monday, Oct 25, 2010 at 0223 hrs IST



Patna: If any section of society has stolen the Bihar election show till the second-phase that concluded on Sunday, it were women—mostly from EBC and scheduled caste, who turned up at polling booths in large numbers despite odds and in some cases defying their husbands’ diktat not to cross fore-walls to caste their votes.

The second-phase poll in East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur and Sheohar averaged 52.55 % with East Champaran registering highest poll percentage of 58. Three Naxal-hit districts of Sitamarhi (51%), Sheohar (49%) and Muzaffarpur (53.3%) that went to polls post killing of five policemen in a landmine blast at Sheohar on Thursday, looked defied Naxal dikat for poll boycott. Samastipur, considered Lalu Prasad’s bastion, also polled 54.3%.

Three polling employees have been missing from a Runni Saidpur (Sitamarhi) booth since Sunday morning. The police, however, ruled out Naxal involvement and suspected some influential locals. Bihar chief electoral officer Sudhir Kumar Rakesh confirmed three polling employees had been missing.

But the highlight of Sunday’s voting pattern was women’s heavy turnout. Women voters of Benipur village in Aurai Assembly constituency of Muzaffarpur had to cross Baghmati river to reach polling booths. The Election Commission had assured them of four boats but none of them reached there. They arranged private boats, paid Rs 3 each to reach polling booth venue, also part of their village. In Darbhanga, a woman voter did not change her mind to vote for candidate of her choice despite diktat to vote for another by brother-in-law.

The NDA, RJD-LJP and Congress might well be interpreting heavier turn out of voters—especially women, as pro or anti-Nitish vote, the two phases have surely endorsed women empowerment in Bihar. There was also boycott of votes at two booths of Darbhanga and one booth each at Sitamarhi and Samastipur because of ‘no development’ in the area.

There were stray incidences of violence with JD-U Minapur nominee and minister Dinesh Prasad Singh Kushwaha’s vehicle hit by brickbats injuring his bodyguard. At Sahebganj, over 800 voters at Sahenganj (Muzaffarpur) could not caste their votes because of discrepancies in voting identity cards. In Motihari, bodyguards of ruling JD-U nominee Shivji Rai was detained allegedly for trying to influence voters at a Madhuban booth.