M A I N   N E W S

Second phase Bihar poll today
Shoot orders against booth grabbers;
border with Nepal sealed

Patna, February 14
Amid shoot-at-sight orders against booth-grabbers, sealing of Indo-Nepal border and aerial surveillance in the Naxal-hit areas, the stage is set for the second phase of Assembly elections in Bihar in 82 constituencies tomorrow, official sources said today.

Around 114-km stretch of the Bihar-Nepal border has been sealed to prevent the entry of certain elements, particularly Maoist rebels, from across the border to avert disturbances during the poll, Chief Secretary K.A.H. Subramanian said.

Claiming that the security arrangements were “unprecedented” for the second phase poll, he said 325 companies of para-military forces had already fanned out in different constituencies.

The forces included 115 companies of the Border Security Force and 75 of the Central Reserve Police Force. Besides, 85 companies of the Special Task Force of the Bihar Police were also pressed in service.

Official sources said shoot-at-sight orders have been issued against booth-grabbers in case the security personnel failed to disperse or capture them.

Nearly 1.8 crore voters are eligible to participate in tomorrow’s exercise to decide the fate of 1,000 candidates.

In view of stepped-up violence by the Naxalites, who have called for the boycott of the Assembly polls, the Government has decided to press into service two helicopters for aerial surveillance, the sources said.

Special Task Force personnel will be in these choppers and keep in touch with all police stations through high-frequency wireless sets. Wherever necessary, these choppers would be used to transport securitymen.

All sensitive and “super-sensitive” polling stations would be manned by para-military personnel and patrolling will be intensified between one polling station and another.

Motorised boats carrying securitymen would patrol the riverine areas in Saharsa, Purnea and Munger districts where police force, too, would be pressed into service to ensure fair and peaceful poll, official sources said.

The Election Commission has postponed the polling in three constituencies — Bahera, Ghanshyampur and Jale, in Darbhanga district, which were earlier scheduled to take place on February 15 to February 18 due to “inadequate security force for law and order arrangements”.

The Commission also postponed polls in another constituency Surajgarha in Lakhisarai district following irregularities in voters’ identity cards and other proof for identification. The polling in Surajgarha will now take place on February 26.

Important contestants whose fate will be decided on February 15 include RJD ministers Pitambar Paswan (Darbhanga rural), Shakuni Choudhary (Tarapur), Ashok Singh (Sonbersa), Ravindra Charan Yadav (UDA Kishunganj), former Union Minister Sanjay Paswan (Warisnagar) and Congress minister Ashok Kumar (Singhia). — PTI