Patna (Bihar) [India], November 6 : BJP candidate from Danapur, Ram Kripal Yadav, cast his vote at a polling booth in Patna, as the polling for 121 constituencies in the first phase of the election began on Thursday.
Yadav urged voters to come out in large numbers and elect a strong government, saying that development work in Danapur has been stalled and people are troubled by rising crime and poor governance.
Speaking to ANI, Ram Kripal Yadav said, "I appeal to all voters to go to booths, vote and form a good and strong government. The public representatives in Danapur did not do any work there. Development work remains halted there. People are worried, and incidents of crime are rising there. They want freedom from that. It is an important day for them."
In the Danapur constituency, the Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded Rit Lal Roy.
The voter turnout of 13.13 per cent was recorded till 9 am in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, according to the Election Commission of India.
Polling will conclude at 6 pm; However, due to security considerations, polling time has been curtailed to 5 pm in some constituencies.
The first phase will decide the fate of several senior leaders, including RJD's Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Mangal Pandey and JD(U)'s Shravan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Choudhary. Tej Pratap Yadav is also in the fray in the first phase.
In 2020, polling took place in three phases. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 125 seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan (MGB) won 110. Among the major parties, the Janata Dal (United) bagged 43 seats, the BJP bagged 74, the RJD secured 75 seats and the Congress 19. The JD(U) contested 115 constituencies, the BJP 110, whereas the RJD contested 144 seats and the Congress 70.