Bihar Lok Sabha elections phase 5: 52.35% voter turnout till 5 pm

Lok Sabha elections: Voting took place in Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Saran and Hajipur Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar.

Published on: May 20, 2024, 18:57:56 IST

By HT News Desk

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Bihar witnessed a voter turnout of 52.35 per cent till 5 pm in five Lok Sabha constituencies that voted in the fifth phase of general elections on Monday. Voting began at 7 am in Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Saran and Hajipur and continued till 6 pm.

According to the Election Commission, 55.30 per cent of voters have exercised their franchise in Muzaffarpur, 53.81 per cent in Hajipur, 53.13 per cent in Sitamarhi, 50.46 per cent in Saran and 49.01 per cent in Madhubani till 5 pm.

Voters showing finger ink mark after casting their votes at a polling booth during Lok Sabha election in Saran, Bihar. (Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

More than 95 lakh voters in these five seats will decide the electoral fate of 80 candidates at 9,436 polling stations.Out of these voters, 45.11 lakh are women, 21 lakh are under 29 years of age and 1.26 lakh are in the age group of 18-19 years.

ALSO READ: Lok Sabha elections Phase 5: 56.68% voter turnout till 5pm, West Bengal leads with 73%

The prominent candidates include NDA ally Chirag Paswan in Hajipur, Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya, who is pitted against two-term sitting BJP MP and former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Saran, and Muzaffarpur's sitting MP Ajay Nishad, who crossed over to the Congress after being denied a saffron party ticket for a third term.

“For the past 10 years, the Prime Minister has not fulfilled any of the promises he made. This election should have been about the issues of the country, but from the Prime Minister to the NDA alliance members, they all keep talking about irrelevant things. This time, the public has decided that their farewell is certain,” Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Misa Bharti was quoted by ANI as saying.

ALSO READ: Lok Sabha elections phase 5: Maharashtra sees 48.66% voter turnout till 5 pm

Union minister Nityanand Rai said,"I urge people to exercise their franchise in large numbers. It's a festival of democracy."

Sudhir Kumar Ojha, an advocate who remains in the news for his petitions against top political figures, Bollywood stars, and even foreign heads of state, is contesting from Muzaffarpur.

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