3-tier monitoring for fourth phase of LS polls in Bihar

Patna: As part of its measures to ensure free and fair general elections, the Election Commission (EC) has put in place a 3-tier monitoring for the seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls in Bihar on Wednesday.

A total of 2,694 patrolling magistrates will keep a watch on 10,521 polling stations spread over Madhubani, Jhanjharpur, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Samastipur (SC), Begusarai and Khagaria parliamentary constituencies.

The patrolling magistrates will be overseen by 925 sector magistrates. Altogether 370 zonal magistrates will keep a minute-to-minute tab on the poll process.

Around 1.13 crore electors will get an opportunity to cast their votes and decide the fate of 94 candidates in the fray during the fourth phase of general elections here.

"We have dispatched 145 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMF), 74 companies of BMP and 27,174 district police personnel along with polling teams and EVMs to their respective locations," Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan told reporters.

"The EC has also appointed 16 observers for this phase. Special attention will be paid to 1,755 vulnerable hamlets having 1.62 lakh voters so that they can exercise their franchise fearlessly. People can register their grievances by calling on our control room telephone number 0612 -2215281," added Lakshmanan.

The poll timing for Mahisi assembly segment of Madhepura parliamentary seat as well as Simri Bakhtiyarpur and Alauli (SC) assembly segments in Khagaria has been fixed at 7am to 4pm against the normal voting time of 7am to 6pm due to security reasons.

On the directives of the EC, the Bihar excise department has conducted 4,600 raids so far and seized 1.14 lakh bulk litres of illicit liquor worth Rs 60 lakh.

Altogether 2,827 persons have been arrested and Rs 72 lakh fine has been collected from them.