Counting of Votes Begins for Bihar Legislative Council Elections

Counting of votes for the biennial elections to eight Bihar Legislative Council seats began at 8 am on Tuesday amid tight security, an official said. The results will determine the electoral fate of 150 candidates, 90 in four graduates’ constituencies and 60 in four teachers’ constituencies. Polling was held on October 23, recording a turnout of 82.85% in the teachers’ constituencies and 53.42% in the graduates’ seats. The four graduates’ constituencies, Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi, had 4.92 lakh eligible voters. The four teachers’ constituencies, Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran, had 40,253 electors. Counting is being held at designated centres across the state. Votes for the Kosi graduates’ seat are being counted at the Bihar School Examination Board’s regional office in Purnea, while the Saran teachers’ constituency is being counted at SVN Rajkiya Kanya Uchcha Madhyamik Vidyalaya. The administrative block of the MIT in Muzaffarpur is the counting centre for both Tirhut constituencies. In Patna, counting is underway at Bankipur Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School, while the results for the two Darbhanga seats are being tallied at Khel Bhawan-cum-Vyayamshala Bhawan, a senior official in the Chief Electoral Officer’s office said. The terms of the eight sitting MLCs will end on November 16. The ruling BJP has fielded candidates in four constituencies, while its ally JD(U) is contesting the remaining four. The Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party is contesting all eight seats. (With inputs from PTI)