59.38 per cent polling recorded in Bihar till 6pm

An estimated 59.38 per cent of 1.38 crore voters exercised their franchise till 6 pm in eight Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar in the sixth and penultimate phase of general election, an official said.

Polling has by and large been peaceful in the eight seats - Valmiki Nagar, West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishaili, Gopalganj (SC), Siwan and Maharajganj - barring two incidents, one of which led to the death of an election officer.

In Sheohar constituency, Shivendra Kishore, a man in his early 30s, succumbed to a bullet injury that he had received when a homeguard accidentally fired his gun while cleaning it at a polling station.

An FIR has been lodged in this connection and the homeguard arrested, Sheohar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rakesh Kumar said.

Going by the guidelines of the Election Commission, Kishore's family will be paid Rs 15 lakh as ex-gratia, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) H R Srinivasa told reporters here.

Terming the incident ...