Bihar assembly elections: High turnout recorded in all five Darbhanga seats

DARBHANGA: The Covid pandemic could not deter people from exercising their franchise in five assembly constituencies of the district – Darbhanga rural, Alinagar, Benipur, Gaura Bauram and Kusheshwar Asthan (SC) – which went to polls in the second and penultimate phase on Tuesday.
Women voters standing in long queues at polling booths and septuagenarians and octogenarians reaching the booths taking help from their family members was witnessed in all the constituencies. Prabhunarayan Mishra (90), who exercised his franchise at booth number 264 in Darbhanga rural constituency taking help from his grandson, said he would continue to vote as long as he is alive.
At booth number 80 in Kusheshwar Asthan, 87-year-old Mahavir Jha and 89-year-old Mohd Idrish enthusiastically voted for the candidates of their choice. Large number of voters turned up at the Middle school Uchhti and Biraul booths too in Kusheshwar Asthan.
Women voters were seen standing in queues braving scorching sun at the Karpoori Sabha Bhawan booth in Benipur assembly constituency. JD(U) candidate from the seat Shashi Bhushan Hazari claimed people in large number voted for him on the basis of the performance of CM Nitish Kumar and PM Narendra Modi. “I am a local person unlike Congress’s Ashok Kumar, who is an outsider,” Hazari, who had represented this constituency in 2010 as BJP candidate and in 2015 as JD(U) candidate, said.
First-time voter Shatwik Jha of Maubehat village under Darbhanga rural constituency was thrilled for exercising his franchise. Mohd Ali Ashraf Fatmi, father of JD(U) candidate Faraj Fatmi from Darbhanga rural constituency, said large number of minorities have come out to vote for his son. The Kusheshwar Asthan (reserved) constituency, lying in remote area, led from the beginning in registering high poll percentage. Youths were seen carrying their elderly parents on bikes for voting.