Bihar: 44.09% voting on 7 seats till 3 pm

, April 17: About 44.09 per cent

was recorded till 3 pm in seven Parliamentary seats of

on Thursday.

According to Election Commission bulletin, 44.09 per cent voting was recorded in the seven seats. Jehanabad with 33 per cent voting topped the list.

31 per cent polling was recorded in Patna Sahib from where actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha is contesting. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's home constituency Nalanda saw lowest voting percentage among the seven at 22 per cent.

31 per cent polling was recorded in Patliputra constituency, which is witnessing a high voltage contest between Lalu Prasad's eldest daughter Misa Bharti and her two uncles Ramkripal Yadav and Ranjan Yadav.

Not much enthusiasm among electors was witnessed in Ara from where former Home Secretary R K Singh is in the race for BJP. Ara witnessed 23 per cent voting till mid-day.

Though no untoward incident has been reported so far, voting in four booths in Munger Lok Sabha seat has been adjourned due to suspicion of presence of landmine, Election Commission officials said.

Polling has been adjourned in booth numbers 65,71, 76 and 77 located in the jungle area of Dharhara in Munger seat, a senior EC official said.

There have been reports of irregularities in EVM machines in Patna, Jehanabad, Munger and other places which were addressed and voting resumed, the EC sources said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar cast his vote at Bhakhtiyarpur. The CM stood in line and exercised his ballot at booth number 192 at Project Balika school, Bhakhtiyarpur RJD President Lalu Prasad along with wife, Rabri Devi, visited polling booth at Veterinary college to cast vote.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi cast his vote at Rajendra nagar booth. Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, contesting on BJP ticket from native Patna Sahib seat, voted at St Severence school.

He arrived at the booth with wife Poonam Sinha and son Kush Sinha to cast vote. Sinha told reporters that results of the present Lok Sabha would be "revolutionary" for the country.

BJP Deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad cast his vote at Womens' college booth in the state capital. Chief Secretary Ashok Kumar Sinha exercised his voting right at a booth at Patliputra colony.

But, state police chief Abhyanand failed to vote as his name did not figure in the voters' list.

Around 1.18 crore voters are exercising their franchise in 11,846 polling stations to decide the fate of 117 candidates on seven constituencies in Bihar amid tight security.

PTI