Election Commission orders repoll at two polling stations in Bihar

The Election Commission on Thursday recommended repoll at two polling stations in Bihar which had gone to polls during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections.

The date and time of repoll at the two polling stations in Sitamarhi constituency will be announced later, Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan said.

"Repoll has been recommended at two polling stations in Sitamarhi constituency. One of them is at Bathnaha, where a person was killed in police firing yesterday," he said. However, no repoll has been ordered at any polling station in Sheohar, Ujiarpur, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Saran and Maharajganj constituencies, he added.

Former Chief Minister and RJD President Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi is pitted against former Union minister and BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Saran constituency.

Meanwhile, preparations for the sixth and last phase of elections in the state are on with the EC ordering movement of security forces to the six poll-bound constituencies of Vaishali, Siwan, Gopalganj, East Champaran, West Champaran and Valmikinagar.

"In this phase we will have to seal not only the Indo-Nepal border, but also the boundary with Uttar Pradesh as a few constituencies are located along it," Lakshmanan said. Of the six constituencies, Valmikinagar, East Champaran and West Champaran are located along the Indo-Nepal border.

Incidentally, Valmikinagar, West Champaran, Gopalganj and Siwan share border with Uttar Pradesh as well.