PATNA: Brisk polling marked the biennial elections to eight constituencies of the Bihar Legislative Council on Friday, with electors heading to polling booths starting at 8 AM amid tight security and intense political maneuvering.The electoral contest serves as a vital test of coordination for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is seeking a clean sweep across all eight seats as chief minister Samrat Choudhary and alliance partners actively manage critical micro-level friction.By 12 PM, official data from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) revealed a stark contrast in participation trends. The specialized nature of the electorate—restricted strictly to registered graduates and teachers—has historically yielded lower participation than assembly elections, yet teachers heavily outperformed graduates in early turnout. The average turnout by midday hovered around 12.88% for the graduate constituencies, while reaching a strong 30.19% across the teacher seats.Among the segments, the Saran Teachers’ constituency emerged as the frontrunner with the highest overall turnout by noon, followed closely by strong numbers in the Patna Teachers’ constituency. The Darbhanga Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies maintained steady participation, leading the pack among the graduate seats. Meanwhile, the Tirhut and Kosi constituencies registered slower morning momentum but showed a noticeable rise as the noon session advanced.The spotlight remains squarely on the Patna Graduates’ constituency, which has turned into a high-octane battleground following an open rift within the JD(U). Mokama strongman and MLA Anant Singh threw his weight behind Jan Suraaj candidate Anuj Singh, openly campaigning against his own party’s official nominee, incumbent MLC Neeraj Kumar. This fierce rivalry escalated on Friday near a polling station in Mokama, where a scuffle broke out between supporters of Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar, prompting police to take five people into custody.In a separate incident in Patna, authorities detained former JD(U) functionary and former general secretary of Bihar Rajya Nagrik Parishad, Chhotu Singh, who is currently being held at the Jakkanpur police station.Law enforcement also cracked down on regulatory infractions. An FIR was lodged against incumbent MLC Afaque Ahmad, the Jan Suraaj candidate for the Saran Teachers’ Constituency, on charges of violating the Model Code of Conduct after he posted campaign-related material on a social media platform.A total of 150 candidates are in the fray across four graduates’ seats (Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Kosi) and four teachers’ seats (Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Saran). While 5,32,847 electors are eligible to exercise their franchise across 933 polling stations, voting is scheduled to wrap up at 4 PM across the state.All eyes will subsequently turn to the counting of votes, which is scheduled to begin on October 27.
