lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Apr 30, 2019 00:39 IST

Begusarai, which witnessed a three-cornered contest, recorded a voter turnout of 62.73% in Bihar during the fourth phase Lok Sabha polls on Monday. Begusarai was one of the five Lok Sabha seats that went to polls on April 29; the state, which has 40 seats has already seen voting for 14 seats in the past three phases of the ongoing general elections. The remaining 21 will go to polls over the next three phases of the seven-phased elections, which end on May 19.

A video of a poll official holding the hand of an old person to exercise his franchise surfaced on Monday. Bihar chief electoral officer, HR Srinivasa, however, ruled out any foul play.

Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and Hindustani Awam Morcha are in a grand alliance in the state. Their candidate Tanveer Hasan on Monday slammed Communist Party of India candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, the former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University students’ union. Union minister Giriraj Singh, who was served notices from the Election Commission for using religion in his campaign speeches, was the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.

Begusarai fell vacant a few months ago following the death of the incumbent Bhola Singh in October 2018.

Film personalities, activists and stand up comics came to Begusarai to campaign for Kumar, including Swara Bhaskar, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, and Prakash Raj.

Begusarai has 1.94 million voters in seven assembly constituencies of which two are considered to be CPI stronghold. Begusarai was once considered to be a Left bastion.