Tuesday, November 15 2005 20:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Indian Air force helicopters will patrol the skies as nearly 40,000 central troops and jawans and officers of state police will maintain security in 15 constituencies of North Bihar going to polls tomorrow (Nov 16, 2005).

Nearly 40,000 security personnel, including about 15,900 central forces, will do duty and state's borders with Nepal would be sealed, Home Secretary H C Sirohi said.

He said IAF helicopters will maintain aerial surveillance and security forces in speedboats will patrol the rivers in the constituencies in East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi and Madhubani districts, where polling was deferred on November 13 due to security reasons.

We are leaving nothing to chance as poll is being held barely two days after the Sunday night Naxalite attack in Jehanabad, Sirohi told sources.

All the four districts where polling will be conducted are Naxalite-affected and located close to Nepal where the Maoist rebels are locked in a bloody fight against monarchy.

An electorate of little over 31.74 lakh are eligible to exercise their franchise at 3,415 booths to choose from a field of 119 candidates, including two ministers in the erstwhile Rabri Devi Government Rama Devi of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (Motihari) and Vishwamohan Sharma of Congress (Chanpatia).

While National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies, Janata Dal (JD) United (U) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fielded candidates in eight and seven seats respectively, Secular Democratic Front partners RJD, Congress and Communist Party of India (CPI) Marxist (M) have put up nominees in 10, five and two seats respectively. CPI-M nominees will engage in a friendly contest with RJD at Sugauli and Congress at BISFI. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Communist Party of India (CPI) are contesting 13 and two seats respectively.