By IANS,
Patna : Polling in the assembly by-election in Bihar’s Daroundha constituency passed off peacefully Thursday with an estimated 48 percent of the electorate casting their votes, officials said.
Polling started at 8 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m.. with no untoward incidents being reported despite apprehensions of violence in the constituency, Siwan district officials said.
Fearing violence during the elections, the district administration had sealed the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border along the constituency and were on the vigil against troublemakers.
More than 1,000 troopers of central paramilitary forces as well as the Bihar Military Police and district police had been deployed at all the 244 polling stations for free and fair polls.
District officials said polling was slow in the first few hours but picked up pace in the afternoon.
About 2.26 lakh people were eligible to cast their votes in the by-poll that saw nine candidates in the fray.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator Jagmato Devi early this year.
Jagmato Dev’s newly-wed daughter-in-law Kavita Singh is the JD-U’s candidate for the seat this time. She is facing a tough fight from opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Parmeshwar Singh, Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist nominee Jaynath Yadav and Congress candidate Kalika Sharan Singh.
Political observers in Daroundha said that the main fight is between the ruling JD-U, which is supported by its ally BJP, and the opposition RJD.
Caste is important, some political observers saying that the support of Rajputs, Yadavs and Muslims would be crucial.