Wednesday, November 16 2005 18:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Polling passed off peacefully in 15 of Bihar's 243 constituencies in four Naxalite-hit districts today (November 16, 2005) with an estimated 45-50 per cent voter turnout with no incident of violence reported from anywhere, official sources said.

Simultaneous polling in eight booths in Jokihat, Baheri (four), Kisunpur (two) and one each in Thakurganj, Mahishi, Benipatti and Ramnagar was also held.

The police and state election office sources said that no untoward incident was reported from anywhere during the poll.

However, former Lok Sabha member from Sheohar Anwarul Haq was arrested with cash and ammunition while moving around in Runni Saidpur constituency in Sitamarhi district where his son Mohammed Azam is contesting on an LJP ticket, DIG (Tirhut range) Gupteshwar Pandey said.

Polling in these constituencies located in east Champaran, west Champaran, Sitamarhi and Madhubani districts, held in the backdrop of Sunday night's Naxalite attack in Jehababad, was conducted under heavy security with Indian Airforce helicopter maintaining aerial surveillance and borders with Nepal sealed.

Rivers were patrolled by security forces in speed boats and mounted police were pressed into service in sensitive pockets as nearly 32,000 jawans and officers did duty, home secretary H C Sirohi said.

Polling in these places, originally scheduled for November 13, was deferred till today for security reasons. The fate of 119 candidates, including two ministers in the erstwhile Rabri Devi government Rama Devi of RJD (Motihari) and Vishwamohan Sharma of Congress (Chanpatia) have been sealed in the electronic voting machines.