M A I N   N E W S

Exit poll: NDA has edge in Bihar

NEW DELHI, Feb 17 (PTI) — A Doordarshan exit poll tonight forecast that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will bag 118 of the 216 seats which went to the polls in first two phases of Bihar Assembly elections, while the BJD-BJP combine in Orissa is poised to secure 56 of the 70 seats in the first phase held today.

The exit poll, conducted by DRS, predicted 50 seats in the two phases for Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav’s RJD and its allies, JD(S) and CPM, 17 for the Congress and 31 for others.

The survey gave 65 of the 108 seats to the NDA in the first phase held on February 12 in Bihar and forecast 53 of the 108 seats in the second phase for the BJP-led combine. The third phase comprising another 108 seats in the 324-member House in Bihar would go to the polls on February 22.

The exit poll showed the BJP-BJD combine securing 56 seats as against eight by the Congress and six by others. Share of vote percentage for the BJP-BJD was forecast at 52 per cent, Congress 35 per cent and others 13 per cent.

The second phase of polling in Orissa is scheduled for February 22.

The poll, with a 4 per cent margin of error, was based on a sample survey of 10,600 voters in 30 Assembly constituencies in Bihar in the second phase and 2,400 voters in 20 constituencies in Orissa in the first phase.

The poll also showed that 46 per cent of the voters favoured BJD leader Naveen Patnaik as Chief Minister followed by 16 per cent wanting Congress leader J.B. Patnaik to head the government.

Meanwhile, an exit poll conducted by “Jain TV” predicted 56 seats for the BJD-BJP combine, 12 for the Congress and two for others in the first phase of polling for 70 seats held in Orissa today.

10 injured in train blast

NEW DELHI, Feb 17 (UNI, PTI) — At least 10 persons were injured, two of them seriously in a bomb blast in the Lucknow-bound Gomati Express late night near Jhinjhak station near Kanpur in the Allahabad section of the Northern Railway late tonight.

According to a Railway spokeswoman the blast took place when the train was parked at the station the train which runs between the national Capital and Lucknow had left Delhi railway station at 2 p.m.

The injured were shifted to a hospital in Kanpur.

A Railway medical van was sent to the scene from Kanpur.

Additional Divisional Railway Manager and other senior officials rushed to the spot to supervise relief and rescue operations.

Northern Railway general manager S.P. Mehta strongly condemned the blast.