New Delhi: Elaborate arrangements are being made for the smooth conduct of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections tomorrow. Security has been beefed up in all the 71 constituencies spread over nine states going to the polls in this phase.
Voting will take place for 17 Parliamentary seats in Maharashtra; 13 each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh; 8 in West Bengal; 6 each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha; five in Bihar; and three in Jharkhand in this phase. Kulgam District of Anantnag constituency will also go to the polls. Campaigning for this phase ended last evening.
In Bihar, polling will take place in five constituencies Darbhanga, Ujjiarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai and Munger. Our Patna correspondent reports that the political fortune of 66 candidates including three women will be decided by over 87 lakh 74 thousand electorates.
In Ujjiarpur there is a direct contest between state BJP Chief Nityanand Roy and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) Chief Upendra Kushwaha. Begusarai is witnessing a triangular contest among senior BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh, Tanveer Hasan of RJD and Kanhaiya Kumar of CPI.
There is a direct fight between Abdul Bari Siddiqui of RJD and Gopal Ji Thakur of BJP in Darbhanga. Ramchandra Paswan is seeking re-election from Samastipur where he is facing challenges from Ashok Kumar of Congress. State government Minister and JD(U) candidate Lalan Singh is fighting from Munger. He is in the contest with Neelam Devi of Congress who is contesting elections for the first time.
In Odisha, A presiding officer died after reaching his designated polling station under Nilagiri assembly segment in Balasore district yesterday. Balasore district assistant collector Rakesh Panda said Purna Chandra Panda who was deputed as the presiding officer at polling station no 28 suddenly became ill was rushed to Balasore district headquarters hospital where doctor declared him dead.
In West Bengal, Re-polling will take place at three booths in Raigunj Parliamentary constituency tomorrow. Polling was held in Raigunj in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on the 18th of this month. Opposition parties had demanded re-polling at different booths, following allegations of irregularities.
