Wednesday, February 23 2005 13:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna/Ranchi: Stray incidents of violence were reported today (Feb 23, 2005) from Bihar and Jharkhand where voting was by and large peaceful in the 121 Assembly seats of the two States with an estimated 20 per cent polling reported till noon.

Election office sources said 18 to 20 per cent voters exercised their franchise in 93 constituencies in Bihar while 20 per cent polling was recorded from 28 seats in Jharkhand.

A Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) worker was injured and hospitalised after he was shot at by activists of rival parties when they clashed at Machkal in Poreyahat constituency in Jharkhand's Godda, police said.

One person was taken into custody in Dumka where a high-voltage contest was on between JMM rebel and Rajya Sabha MP Stephen Marandi and party president and Union Minister Shibu Soren's son Hemant.

Defective Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) delayed voting in a couple of booths in Barheit and Bokaro where a landmine blast killed a Special Task Force (STF) jawan and injured two others in the wee hours.

Besides Hemant, Soren's eldest son Durga is also contesting from Jama. Other prominent candidates include Deputy Speaker Sabah Ahmed of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Tundi, HRD Minister P N Singh of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Dhanbad, Transport Minister Madhavlal Singh-Gomia, Opposition leader in the Assembly Hussain Ansari (Madhupur-JMM), Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leder Rajendra Prasad Singh (Bermo) and former JPCC chief Thomas Hansda (Rajmahal).