Patna: Amid shoot-at-sight orders for booth-grabbers and sealing off of Indo-Nepal border adjoining Bihar, the stage is set for elections to 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State in the second phase of polling on April 26.

Four persons were killed and many injured in a violence-marred poll for 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State held on April 20.

Nearly 100 companies of the Central Para-Military Forces (CPMFs) fanned out to different areas spread over the 17 constituencies where Home Guards and District Armed Police (DAP) personnel too were posted to ensure conduct of a free and fair poll.

Elections 2004-The Drama unfolds...
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All the 8,463 and 6,166 polling stations identified as hyper-sensitive and sensitive in the 17 constituencies would be manned by the CPMF personnel, official sources said.

Areas in constituencies on the Indo-Nepal border like Sitamarhi, Jhanjharpur, Motihari, Bettiah and Bagaha will be sealed on polling day and vigil enhanced to prevent Maoist rebels in Nepal from entering Indian territory, Bihar home secretary B K Haldar said.

He said that the mobility of security personnel between one building (housing a few polling stations) and another would be intensified to prevent booth grabbing and extra vigil would be kept on activities of the proscribed People's War and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) in the naxal-hit constituencies of Bagaha, Sheohar and Sitamarhi.

Around 6.02 crore voters are eligible to participate in tomorrow's (Apr 26, 2004) exercise to decide the fate of 182 contestants, including those of JD-U president George Fernandes, RJD boss Laloo Prasad Yadav and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ramvilas Paswan.