Satish Aditya
Motihari /Bettiah : The stakes are high for the various alliances in the third and final phase of Bihar Assembly Elections in East
Champaran District in North Bihar, which will go to polls on November 7, 2020. East Champaran DM cum Returning Officer Shirshat Kapil Ashok said that 17,81,681 voters of six assembly constituencies (ACs) : Motihari, Raxaul, Sugauli , Chiraiya, Dhaka, and Narkatiya will cast their votes at 2,569 polling booths from 7 am to 6 pm on November 7, 2020.
Altogether 88 candidates are in electoral ring in these six ACs. The district administration has claimed that tight security arrangements have been made to hold free, fair, fearless, peaceful polls. Out of six assembly segments, five constituencies : Sugauli, Raxaul , Narkatiya, Dhaka, and Chiraiya, are located on Indo-Nepal border for which the administration has taken additional security measures.
SDPO, Raxaul, Sagar Kumar, said that border has been sealed, joint patrolling by SSB and Nepal police is going on border and vehicles and pedestrians are being searched by police to prevent the entry of anti-social elements. SDPO Kumar said 18 additional check-posts have been set up and they are working round the clock and 10 patrolling parties are moving on border.
East Champaran SP Navin Chandra Jha said that 60 booths of these six assembly constituencies are Naxal affected according to police records. One section of para military force would be deployed at each booth located in naxal area for protection of voters and poll personnel. He further said that 6,000 police officials, 7,000 police jawans, 1,834 Homeguards jawans would be deployed at the polling booths. One company of para military force is static in each assembly constituencies.
DM Ashok said that all booths would be sanitised before polling hour and the voters would be allowed to enter the booths only after thermal screening as safety measures. The voters are quite sensitive and using masks as seen in first phase of polling on November 3, 2020. ANM, ASHA, and Anganbadi Sevikas would be deployed at all booths for screening the voters.
In West Champaran District, altogether 17.27 lakh voters will exercise their franchise at 478 booths in six assembly constituencies : Valmikinagar, Ramnagar, Narkatiyaganj, Bagaha, Lauriya, and Sikta, on November 7. Altogether 84 candidates are in fray in these six ACs. By-election to Bagaha parliamentary constituency, where 7 candidates are in fray, would also would be held on November 7.
Out of six ACs going to polls inWest Champaran, five constituencies are located near Indo-Nepal border so the border has been sealed and police patrolling is going on to check the entry of anti-social elements .