Polling begins in Bihar for last phase Lok Sabha poll

, May 12: Voting began this morning in six constituencies in the last of the six-phase Lok Sabha election in

in which 90 candidates are contesting.

Among the candidates are film-maker Prakash Jha and former Union minister Raghubansh Prasad Singh. While Jha is trying his luck on a JD(U) ticket from Paschim Champaran, more popularly known as Bettiah, Raghubansh Prasad Singh, who won praise for piloting MGNREGA, is fighting from his traditional Vaishali seat on a RJD ticket.

Singh is pitted against muscleman-politician Rama Singh of the LJP and Vijay Kumar Sahni of the JD(U). The six seats going to the poll are Valmikinagar, Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Vaishali, Gopalganj(SC) and Siwan. Elaborate security arrangement has been made for the last round of election with 58,000 security personnel put on duty, while armed personnel would be posted at every polling location. The Election Commission reduced poll timings by two hours in five assembly segments in view of perceived Maoist threat.

PTI