Polling commenced on Saturday morning for eight Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, marked by tight security arrangements, officials said.
Polling commenced on Saturday morning for eight Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, marked by tight security arrangements, officials said.
Voting began at 7 am in the constituencies of Valmiki Nagar, Pashchim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Siwan, Gopalganj, Maharajganj, and Vaishali. The polls will continue until 6 pm, they added.
More than 1.49 crore voters are set to determine the electoral fate of 86 candidates in this phase. The constituencies are predominantly rural, with only 1,281 of the 14,872 polling stations located in urban areas.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) is contesting four seats, including Sheohar, which was won by the BJP in the last election.
In Sheohar, JD(U) has fielded Lovely Anand, aiming to leverage her family's influence among upper caste Rajputs, against RJD’s Ritu Jaiswal, who is appealing to Vaishyas discontented by the BJP’s denial of a ticket to the incumbent MP, Rama Devi.
In Siwan, the race has become more complex with the independent candidacy of Hina Shahab, widow of the late Mohd Shahabuddin, who won the seat multiple times.
To maintain its OBC base, JD(U) has replaced sitting MP Kavita Singh with newcomer Vijaylakshmi Kushwaha. RJD’s veteran candidate, Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, brings extensive political experience to the contest.
The BJP is contesting three seats, including Pashchim Champaran, where former state president Sanjay Jaiswal seeks a fourth consecutive term.
His main opponent is VIP's Rajesh Kushwaha, formerly of RJD, seen as a strategic move for OBC consolidation.
In Maharajganj, BJP’s Janardan Singh Sigriwal is aiming for a third term, facing Akash Prasad Singh of the Congress, whose father is a Rajya Sabha MP and state party president.
More than 1.49 crore voters are set to determine the electoral fate of 86 candidates in this phase. The constituencies are predominantly rural, with only 1,281 of the 14,872 polling stations located in urban areas.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) is contesting four seats, including Sheohar, which was won by the BJP in the last election.
In Sheohar, JD(U) has fielded Lovely Anand, aiming to leverage her family's influence among upper caste Rajputs, against RJD’s Ritu Jaiswal, who is appealing to Vaishyas discontented by the BJP’s denial of a ticket to the incumbent MP, Rama Devi.
In Siwan, the race has become more complex with the independent candidacy of Hina Shahab, widow of the late Mohd Shahabuddin, who won the seat multiple times.
To maintain its OBC base, JD(U) has replaced sitting MP Kavita Singh with newcomer Vijaylakshmi Kushwaha. RJD’s veteran candidate, Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, brings extensive political experience to the contest.
The BJP is contesting three seats, including Pashchim Champaran, where former state president Sanjay Jaiswal seeks a fourth consecutive term.
His main opponent is VIP's Rajesh Kushwaha, formerly of RJD, seen as a strategic move for OBC consolidation.
In Maharajganj, BJP’s Janardan Singh Sigriwal is aiming for a third term, facing Akash Prasad Singh of the Congress, whose father is a Rajya Sabha MP and state party president.
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