Saturday, November 19 2005 09:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Polling began this morning (Nov 19, 2005) in 41 of the 243 constituencies in the fourth and final phase of the long-drawn assembly elections, Bihar's second this year, amid heavy security.

It would decide the fate of 394 candidates, including state National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Convenor Nand Kishore Yadav and a host of ministers in the erstwhile Rabri Devi Government.

An electorate of 88,58,840 are eligible to exercise their franchise at 9876 polling stations, all of which have been provided security cover by the central para-military forces.

Nearly one lakh men and officers of central para-military forces and state police have been deployed for smooth conduct of the polls being held in the backdrop of the daring November 13 attack in Jehanabad by naxalites, who have called an election boycott.

Seven helicopters are maintaining aerial surveillance and central security forces in speedboats are patrolling rivers.

Mounted police have been pressed into service in sensitive areas to instil confidence among the voters, Home Secretary H C Sirohi told Sources.

Sirohi said that 538 companies of central para-military forces or around 53,800 men, besides 44,000 officers and personnel of the Bihar Military Police and District Armed Constabulary were on duty.

Besides state NDA convenor Nandkishore Yadav of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who is seeking a fourth straight term from the Patna East Seat, other major contestants include ministers in the erstwhile Rabri Devi Government, Avadh Bihari Chaudhary (Siwan), Azazul Haq (Ziradei), Udit Rai (Chapra), Chandrika Rai (Parsa) (all Rashtriya Janata Dal) and Vijay Shanker Dubey (Raghunathpur).