Phase 8 of Bihar rural polls passes off peacefully

ARA: The eighth phase of the ongoing panchayat polls passed off peacefully in Ara Sadar block on Wednesday.
According to a press release issued by the Bhojpur DPRO, the overall voting percentage was 51.9% as 52.6% men and 51.2% women exercised their franchise. There was no report of electoral malpractices from any of the 278 booths in the region.
The election will decide the fate of 2,048 candidates who battled it out for 602 posts in 19 panchayats.
Sitamarhi: The voters of Riga and Suppi blocks in Sitamarhi district exercised their franchise amid tight security arrangements on Wednesday. Special attention was paid to the sensitive and Maoist-hit areas. The Indo-Nepal border was also sealed.
There were 239 polling booths in Riga block for 1,43,257 voters and 151 in Suppi for 82,312 voters. District magistrate Sunil Kumar Yadav and SP Har Kishore Rai visited several booths throughout the day.
Sources said women participated in the election process with enthusiasm.
Bagaha: The three-tier panchayat polls in Gaunaha and Yogapatti blocks of West Champaran district also passed off peacefully on Wednesday.