Campaigning ends for 6th phase in Bihar poll

Patna: Campaigning ended on Thursday evening for 26 of the 243 Assembly constituencies going to election in the sixth and final phase of elections in Bihar on November 20.

Of the 26 constituencies, spread over Rohtas, Aurangabad, Buxar, Kaimur and Gaya districts, 18 have been declared Naxal-hit, where a poll boycott call has been given by the Maoists.

Director-General of Police Neelmani said "elaborate and unprecedented" security arrangement has been made for the smooth conduct of elections.

While, there would be a 100 per cent deployment of the Central Para-Military Force in Gaya and Aurangabad districts, the other would have between 90 and 95 per cent deployment. The remaining districts will be covered by regular armed forces.

Four BSF helicopters, including an MI-17 and a Dhruv, would be stationed at Gaya, Aurangabad, Rohtas and Kaimur districts with STF commandos for air surveillance.

BSF sniffer dogs and CRPF bomb detection and disposal squads would also be present.

The Bihar-Jharkhand border has been sealed for the election.

Polling will be held in the Naxal-affected seats between 7 am and 3 pm, while in the rest of the seats it will be held between 7 am and 5 pm.

An electorate of over 60 lakh will decide the fate of of 426 candidates..

Prominent candidates in fray includes Speaker of the outgoing Assembly and JD-U leader Uday Narayan Choudhary (Imamganj), BJP minister Awadhesh Narayan Singh (Dehri), JD(U) ministers Chhedi Paswan (Mohania) and Anil Kumar (Tekari).

The JD(U) is contesting from 16 seats and its ally BJP has put up candidates in 10 seats, while RJD has candidates in 22 seats leaving four for its alliance partner LJP.

The Congress and BSP have put up candidates in all the 26 constituencies, while NCP is contesting from 17 seats, CPI from seven seats and its electoral ally CPI-M from two.

Star-campaigners for the last phase included Congress president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi and senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj.

BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati too campaigned for her party nominees, holding several election meetings.