The second phase of Bihar Assembly polls registered a 55 per cent in 32 constituencies spread over six Naxal-infested districts of the state. Just like the first phase, women voters outnumbered men by 5 <g data-gr-id="20">per cent</g>. The polling percentage of women was recorded at 57.5 per cent compared with 52.5 <g data-gr-id="21">per cent</g> male voters.
Chief Electoral Officer Ajay V Nayak said: “Kaimur recorded the maximum turnout of 57.86 <g data-gr-id="17">per <g data-gr-id="23">cent</g></g><g data-gr-id="23">,</g> while Aurangabad registered the lowest turnout of 52.50 <g data-gr-id="18">per cent</g>.”
“Rohtas recorded 54.66 per cent polling, <g data-gr-id="26">Arwal</g> registered 53.21 polling, while Naxal-hit Jehanabad recorded 56.49 per cent and 55.54 per cent voters exercised their franchise in Gaya,” Nayak said, who was accompanied by Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan, adding that polling was more or less peaceful.
Of the 32 seats where polling was held on Friday, JD(U) had won 19 and BJP 10 in the 2010 Assembly polls, when the two parties were partners. This time, the two parties are leading rival camps. There are 86,13,870 voters in the 32 constituencies, where polling was held, and 456 candidates are in the fray with 32 of them women.
Senior BJP leader Prem Kumar (Gaya town), former state BJP chief Gopal Narayan Singh (Nabinagar) and state minister Jay Kumar Singh (Dinara) are some whose fate would be decided in this phase.
Jitan Ram Manjhi, former Bihar CM and now a BJP ally, is the man to watch out for in this phase. He is contesting from two seats - Imamganj and Makhdumpur seat in Jehanabad.