Bihar: 37pc cast votes in first 6 hours in Kurhani assembly seat

PATNA: Thirty-seven per cent turnout was recorded in the first six hours of polling on Monday in Kurhani assembly seat in Bihar, where voting is underway for a by-election, an EC official said.

Polling began at 7 am across 320 booths in the constituency, he said.

Tight security arrangements are in place across all the booths, which are manned by central paramilitary forces besides local police, and the casting of votes will continue till 6 pm.

"Polling has been peaceful and no untoward incident has been reported so far," the official said.

By-poll to the assembly segment, falling in Muzaffarpur district, has been necessitated by the disqualification of RJD MLA Anil Kumar Sahani.

Altogether 13 candidates, including five Independents, are in the fray.

The main contenders are former MLAs Kedar Gupta and Manoj Singh Kushwaha, fielded by the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) respectively.

Others who are in the fray include Mohd Ghulam Murtaza (AIMIM) and Neelabh Kumar (VIP).

Gupta had lost to Sahani, in the 2020 assembly polls, by a slender margin of about 700 votes. In the by-election, the RJD is backing the JD(U).

The counting of votes will take place on Thursday.