56 per cent voting was registered on Wednesday in seven Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in the fifth phase of elections in the state.
Sheohar registered 53 per cent voting, Sitamarhi 52 per cent, Muzaffarpur 57.15 per cent, Maharajganj 49 per cent, Saran 51 per cent, Hajipur (SC reserved) 52 per cent and Ujiyarpur 55 per cent, the Election Office statement said.
In Saran, a bomb was found about 500 metre from a polling station in Marhaura which was defused. There were reports of fracas between workers of RJD and BJP in Sonepur Assembly area which was part of Saran Lok Sabha constituency.
Also one person was killed in police firing outside a polling booth during voting in Sitamarhi district. District Magistrate cum Returning Officer Dr Pratima confirmed death of the person in firing by the police outside booth number 224 in Ramnagar village, about 15 km from the district headquarters.
Though reports suggested that death took place in police firing at a group of persons trying to loot the booth, the DM said she was on way to the spot and would speak about it only after verifying facts. The Sitamarhi Lok Sabha seat is witnessing a triangular fight between JD(U) MP Arjun Rai, RJD's Sitaram Yadav and BJP's new ally Rashtriya Loktantrik party candidate Ram Kumar Sharma.
In Muzaffarpur, two low intensity bombs exploded in a field in Karathua village near a booth, police sources said. Among the 118 candidates in fray were LJP President Ramvilas Paswan from Hajipur, former chief minister Rabri Devi of RJD and Rajiv Pratap Rudy of BJP from Saran. In Hajipur, a 100-year-old man was brought on a charpoy to a polling station to vote. In Samastipur, people were seen going on horse and elephant back to cast their votes.
Bypoll to the two Assembly seats of Chiraia and Maharajganj was also underway.
Altogether 66,211 security personnel were manning polling stations while the Indo-Nepal border was sealed. Two helicopters were carrying out aerial surveillance.
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