Shoot-at-sight orders on Bihar

NEW DELHI, Oct 27 (UNI, PTI) — Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued in Bihar as the longest-ever poll exercise in the country finally comes to a close tomorrow with balloting in five Lok Sabha constituencies in the state and Assam.

Polling, initially scheduled for the last phase on October 3, was deferred in Bhagalpur, Purnea, Khagaria and Rajmahal (all in Bihar) due to heavy flooding while the election to the Dhubri seat in Assam was postponed following the kidnapping and killing of BJP candidate Pannalal Oswal.

A repoll would also be held at 178 booths in Outer Manipur which reported largescale irregularities, mostly snatching of ballot boxes, in the October 3 poll.

More than 5.3 million voters are eligible to cast their votes for the five seats having 49 candidates.

The four Bihar seats fall in the two regions of Anga-Magadh and Wazika-Mithila. Both regions emerged as strongholds of the BJP-JD(U) combine in the elections to the 13th Lok Sabha.

The Dhubri seat is held by Mr Abdul Hamid of the Congress. He won the last election by a massive margin of 190,000 votes. He faces Bimal Oswal of the BJP, the eldest son of Mr Pannalal Oswal. Campaigning held amidst tight security passed off peacefully this time.

The other extreme is brought out by the Rajmahal constituency where Mr Som Marandi(BJP) won by one of the narrowest margins of nine votes.

State Director-General of Police K.A.Jacob today said each booth would be guarded by the armed police. Combing operations had also been intensified. Special measures had been taken to detect landmines in the extremist-affected areas.

Besides 24 companies of paramilitary forces, 50 companies of the state police and Home Guards would also be deployed in these constituencies.

As many as 40 people, including security and polling officials, lost their lives in poll and post poll-related violence in Bihar as extremists detonated landmines at many places in Palamu, Hazaribagh and Rohtas districts.

The CPM, the RJD and the Congress are in the fray from Bhagalpur and Purnea. The Congress and the RJD reached an agreement on Rajmahal and Khagaria, but the CPI walked out.

The CPI has fielded its party MLA Satyanarain Singh in Khagaria where the RJD candidate is Nayana Rana, wife of party MLA and an accused in the fodder scam R.K. Rana. The main contest is between the nominees of the RJD and the JD (U), but Mr Singh is trying to make it triangular.

In the adjoining Purnea, BJP candidate Jaikrishna Mandal, Communist Party of India nominee Khalil Ahmed and Independent candidate and former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav are locked in a three-cornered contest.

The Bhagalpur constituency will witness a straight fight between the CPM candidate, Mr Subodh Roy and the BJP nominee, Mr Prabhashchandra Tiwari.

In Rajmahal, BJP’s Som Marandi is locked in a battle with Congress nominee Thomas Hansda, but Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Simon Marandi is trying to make it triangular.

Bhagalpur has the maximum number of 12,33,246 voters followed by Purnea (10,85,515), Dhubri (10,50,226), Khagaria (10,44,754) and Rajmahal (9,50,682).

A report from Imphal said elaborate security arrangements had been made to counter the poll boycott calls, given by NSCN (I-M) cadres and other underground groups, for tomorrow’s re-election to 176 polling stations in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat, Chief Secretary H.Jel Shyam said.

In a statement here today, he said Deputy Commissioners of districts concerned had also been instructed to discuss the poll preparations with village chiefs in their jurisdictions and mobilise the voters in large numbers to cast their votes.

He said arrangements had also been made to ensure peaceful and trouble-free repoll in the Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency.

Official sources said the NSCN (I-M) cadres had supported the Naga Ho Ho’s (Kohima-based Naga apex body) election boycott call, saying before the elections there should be settlement between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M).