Patna, October 23 (UNI) In the polling held on Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM for eight seats of the Bihar Legislative Council, a turnout of 74.55 percent was recorded in the teachers' constituencies and 43.87 percent in the graduate constituencies. According to data issued by the Election Commission up to 4:00 PM, the highest turnout among teachers' constituencies was recorded in the Saran seat at 87.16 percent, while among graduate constituencies, the highest turnout was in the Kosi seat at 52.51 percent. According to the Election Commission, polling concluded peacefully. However, these figures issued on the basis of reports received till 4:00 PM are provisional, and voting was reported to be continuing at some polling stations.

According to the data released by the Election Commission, among the four graduate constituencies, Patna recorded 36.19 percent, Tirhut 42.15 percent, Darbhanga 42 percent, and Kosi 52.51 percent turnout. Thus, the total voting proportion in the graduate constituencies stood at 43.87 percent. Meanwhile, among the four teacher constituencies, Patna recorded 56.89 percent, Saran 87.16 percent, Tirhut 78.10 percent, and Darbhanga 79 percent turnout. The total voting proportion in these constituencies stood at 74.55 percent.

According to the received data, an overall turnout of 74.55 percent was recorded in the four teachers' constituencies, while 43.87 percent was recorded in the four graduate constituencies. In the constituency-wise figures, Saran led in the teachers' category and Kosi led in the graduate category, while Patna remained at the bottom in both categories. The election results will be announced on October 27 following the counting of votes.

Among the four seats in the graduate quota, the Kosi constituency performed the best, recording a voting turnout of 52.51 percent. Tirhut recorded 42.15 percent, Darbhanga 42 percent, and Patna recorded merely 36.19 percent votes cast. Thus, Patna lagged furthest behind among the graduate constituencies. It is evident from the election data that voters in the teachers' constituencies showed greater enthusiasm compared to the graduate constituencies. However, as voters standing in line till 4:00 PM were to be given the opportunity to cast their votes as per rules, a slight change in the final figures was expected.

A total of 150 candidates are in the electoral fray for these eight seats of the Bihar Legislative Council. These include 90 candidates from the graduate constituencies and 60 candidates from the teachers' constituencies.

A total of 933 polling centers were established across the state for voting, out of which 598 were allocated for graduate constituencies and 335 for teachers' constituencies. Voting began on Friday morning at 8:00 AM and continued until the scheduled time of 4:00 PM. During the electoral process, there was a contest among various political parties and candidates. The ruling NDA, the opposition Grand Alliance, and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party had fielded their candidates in the electoral fray. In some constituencies, candidates from coalition parties were also contesting against each other, making the electoral contest even more interesting.

The Patna graduate constituency remained a special focus of attention in terms of electoral activities. Candidates from various parties, including JDU's Neeraj Kumar, are in the fray for this seat. In the Kosi graduate constituency, BJP's N.K. Yadav is also included in the electoral contest.

On the other hand, a tough contest was also observed among candidates of various political parties in the teachers' constituencies. Now, the eyes of all candidates are focused on the counting of votes to be held on October 27. On that day it will become clear which party and candidate achieves victory on these eight seats of the Bihar Legislative Council.