Counting of votes for eight Bihar Legislative Council seats began at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27, under tight security, with results expected late in the evening, IANS reported from Patna.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

The eight seats cover four Graduates' constituencies — Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi — and four Teachers' constituencies — Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran. A total of 150 candidates are in the fray, and polling was held on October 23 across 933 stations for an electorate of about 5.33 lakh voters, according to the counting arrangements reported by IANS and ANI.

CCTV allegations at the Patna centre

At the Bankipur Government Girls' Higher Secondary School centre in Patna, Jan Suraaj Party candidate Anuj Singh alleged that CCTV cameras had not been installed inside the area where the counting was actually taking place. He said the concern had been raised with the Returning Officer. The allegation has not been independently established, and election officials have not conceded any lapse.

Congress leader Sanjay Yadav staged a sit-in protest at the centre, saying he would remain until cameras were installed in the counting zone, and asked officials to show the official provision if cameras were not allowed inside, according to the IANS report.

Officials at the centre said security checks were being strictly enforced. Magistrate Anugya said all entrants, including counting agents, representatives and staff, were being checked, no one was allowed to carry a mobile phone inside, and entry was restricted to authorised pass-holders.

Counting across the state

In Muzaffarpur, counting for the Tirhut Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies is under way at the MIT campus, where strongrooms were opened at 7 a.m. in the presence of candidates and senior officials, with Tirhut Divisional Commissioner Girivar Dayal overseeing the arrangements, IANS reported.

The Patna Graduates' seat is among the most closely watched contests, where Jan Suraaj's Anuj Singh — who has received public backing from Mokama MLA Anant Singh — faces JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar. Under the counting rules, first-preference votes are counted first, and second preferences are taken up if no candidate reaches the required quota. Teachers' constituency results are expected earlier because of their smaller electorate.