48 per cent polling for seven seats in Bihar till 3 PM

Braving the scorching sun, Bihar registered a voter turnout of about 48 per cent till 3 PM for seven Lok Sabha seats in the fourth phase of elections in the state.

Madhepura from where JD(U) President Sharad Yadav is contesting registered 48 per cent polling, Madhubani recorded 45 per cent, Jhanjharpur 45.5 per cent, Darbhanga 44 per cent, Samastipur 47 per cent, Begusarai 51 per cent and Khagaria 51.45 per cent till 3 PM, an Election Commission statement said here.

Sharad Yadav cast his vote at the Adarsh Madhya Vidyalaya.

With the temperature crossing 42 degree Celsius, people, elderly persons and women, waited in queue before booths.

In Madhubani and Begusarai, a large number of burqa- clad women voters were seen outside booths.

In Darbhanga, a car in BJP candidate Kirti Azad's convoy was seized by the district administration in Benipur for not having requisite permission, police said.

A 104-year-old man was assisted by his family to a booth in Madhubani for casting his vote.
There were some reports of minor friction between electors and officials over missing names in voters lists.

A bypoll is also being held in Sahebpur Kamal Assembly seat following the resignation of former minister Parveen Amanullah's from the Nitish Kumar Cabinet.