Moderate voting was reported in 47 assembly constituencies in Bihar where polling began on Thursday morning for the first phase amidst strict security measures.
According to official sources, an estimated 8 to 10 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in the 47 constituencies spread over eight districts till 0900 hrs.
Enthusiasm among voters was noticed at most of the booths in Madhubani, Madhepura, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Araria and Saharsa districts where many elderly women queued up in large numbers even before voting began at 7 am.
Initially, problems in EVMs were reported from a number of booths in Supaul, Saharsa and Madhepura, but they were promptly attended to and polling continued without any disturbance, the sources said.
A presiding officer died of cardiac arrest at a booth at Pranpur in Katihar district before polling. A replacement was sent and polling continued at the booth as per schedule.
Around 1.07 crore voters, including 50.2 lakh women and 3,829 service voters, are expected to exercise their franchise at 10,454 polling centres in the state.
Prominent among the 631 contestants in the fray are senior Janata Dal(United) ministers Vijendra Prasad Yadav, Narendra Narain Yadav,
Renu Kumari, Hari Prasad Sah, Congress nominee Ranjeet Ranjan, wife of former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, state Congress chief Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser and Lovely Anand, the wife of former MP Anand Mohan.