30 pc voting by noon in Bihar

Patna : Nearly 30 percent electorate of some 10 million voters on Thursday cast their ballots till noon at the 3rd phase of the Bihar Assembly elections involving 48 constituencies spread over East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Siwan and Vaishali districts.

The Election officials said they are expecting a high turn of voters at the 3rd phase than the first two phases of polling.

Director-General of Police Neelmani said a constable, found in an inebriated condition at Gopalganj town, was detained for causing inconvenience to the voters.

“The elections, however, by and large peaceful are so far,” Neelmani said.

In Bettiah Assembly constituency, where state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Renu Devi is in the fray, voters did not turn up at booth Nos. 119 and 120 as they have decided to boycott the polls due to ‘the state’s apathy towards their woe’.

Meanwhile, three Rastriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders from Patna have been expelled on Thursday for alleged anti-party activities.

State RJD secretary Anil Yadav, Pappu Yadav and Rampravesh Rai have been expelled by the party’s state president Abdul Bari Siddiqui. They have been accused of working against Ramanand Yadav, who is the party’s official nominee from Fatua Assembly constituency.