By-election in Madhepura passes off peacefully

PATNA: Amid shoot-at-sight orders against booth-grabbers and sealing of borders of the Lok Sabha constituency, by-election in the Madhepura passed off peacefully.
Home commissioner Girish Shankar said only seven preventive arrest have been made. At least 50-52 percent polling was registered in Madhepura, he said.
Voters have totally boycotted voting at booth no 34 at Mohanpur in Madhepura assembly constituency.
Forty companies of the central forces, including CRPF, BSF, CISF, besides the district armed police (DAP) jawans were deployed in all the 1,118 boths in the constituency, he added.
The by-poll was necessitated as railway minister Lalu Prasad vacated it to retain Chhapra as his constituency. Lalu had defeated his nearest JD(U) rival and former union minister Sharad Yadav by a margin of around 70,000 votes here in the last Lok Sabha election.