Around 24% polling recorded in eight LS seats in Bihar till 11 am

Siwan/Vaishali/Sheohar: Around 24 per cent of 1.49 crore voters in eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar exercised their franchise in the first four hours of polling on Saturday, officials said.

Voting began at 7 am in Valmiki Nagar, Pashchim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Siwan, Gopalganj, Maharajganj and Vaishali constituencies and will continue till 6 pm, a senior official at the state CEO office said.

As of 11 am, voter turnout stood at 27.98 pc in Vaishali, 25.77 pc in Sheohar, 23.84 pc in Paschim Champaran, 23.57 pc in Maharajganj, 23.10 pc in Purvi Champaran, 22.61 pc in Gopalganj, 22.42 pc in Siwan, and 20.11 pc in Valmiki Nagar. The overall polling is 23.67 per cent, the official added.

In a video statement released on Saturday on X, Bihar BJP president and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary said, "First vote, then refreshment. I appeal to all the voters who are voting for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections to vote in large numbers. Voting is our right and duty. Please vote for building a developed India".

The constituencies where elections are underway are largely rural areas with only 1,281 of the total 14,872 polling stations located in urban localities, officials said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) is contesting in four seats, including Sheohar, which was won by the BJP five years ago.

The electoral battle in Sheohar is primarily between JD(U)'s Lovely Anand and RJD's Ritu Jaiswal. Jaiswal is leveraging the discontent among Vaishyas, traditionally BJP supporters, after the denial of a ticket to sitting MP Rama Devi, who had previously secured victory in the constituency multiple times.

The JD(U) has fielded Anand hoping to cash in on the popularity her family is said to enjoy among upper caste Rajputs.

In Siwan, the electoral landscape has become more complex for both JD(U) and RJD with the emergence of Hina Shahab as an Independent candidate. Shahab is the widow of late Mohd Shahabuddin, who had previously secured victory in the constituency several times.

The JD(U), in a bid to consolidate its OBC base, has denied the ticket to sitting MP Kavita Singh and fielded a greenhorn Vijaylakshmi Kushwaha. Meanwhile, RJD candidate Awadh Bihari Chaudhary brings considerable experience to the table as a veteran leader, having served multiple terms as an MLA and also holding the position of former assembly speaker.

The BJP is contesting three out of the eight seats, with former state president Sanjay Jaiswal seeking his fourth consecutive win in Pashchim Champaran. Additionally, the saffron party has extended its support to sitting MP Janardan Singh Sigriwal in Maharajganj, who is aiming for a hat-trick victory. Sigriwal faces a challenge from Akash Prasad Singh of the Congress, whose father, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, is a Rajya Sabha MP and leads the party's state unit.