11% turnout recorded in first two hours of polling: EC

Around 11 percent turnout was recorded in the first two hours of polling in 32 Assembly constituencies of Bihar where a cane bomb was found by security personnel near a polling station in Rafiganj Assembly constituency, "Around 10.76 percent turnout has been reported from 32 assembly constituencies going to polls in the second phase. Polling is peaceful in the state as we have not received any information of untoward incident so far," Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan told PTI. Polling is currently underway in six Naxal-hit districts of Kaimur, Rohtas, Arwal, Jehanabad, Aurangabad and Gaya.

While Kaimur recorded 12.50 percent turnout, Rohtas recorded 12.87 percent, Arwal 9.51 percent, Jehanabad 12.02 percent, Aurangabad 10.02 percent and Gaya 8.73 percent, according to the hourly bulletin of the EC. Rohtas recorded a maximum turnout of 12.87 percent while Gaya recorded the lowest turnout of 8.73 percent till 9 AM Meanwhile, a CRPF jawan Harendra Singh Gurjar died of heart attack while he was manning a polling station at Baseta village of Imamganj Assembly constituency of Gaya district, CRPF Commandant Birendra Verma said. The jawan belonged to 169th battalion of CRPF and was a resident of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, he added.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, who is contesting from Imamganj constituency against JD(U) Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary, alleged that large number of names of scheduled castes voters have been removed from the voters' list. "We have received information that names of scheduled castes have been removed from polling station located at project high school and polling station located at middle school in Dumraon village of Imamganj Assembly constituency," Manjhi told PTI over phone from his constituency. Voters are agitated over the exclusion of their names from the list and party spokesman Danish Rizwan has lodged a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer Ajay V Nayak in this regard, Manjhi said.

A cane bomb was found by the security personnel near polling station number 144 located in Balar village of Kasma police station area that falls in Rafiganj Assembly constituency of Aurangabad district, Kasma police station SHO Sujit Kumar.