New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) As voting for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections is underway on Thursday, the Patna District Administration issued a clarification amid social media claims that some voters were being denied entry to polling booths for not carrying their voter slips.

In an official statement on X, the District Administration Patna said, “The issue has been resolved. Voting is underway. The voter slip is not mandatory. Voters can use any one of the 12 alternative photo identity documents apart from the EPIC (Voter ID) to cast their vote.”

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), acceptable documents include Aadhaar card, MGNREGA job card, passport, PAN card, driving license, smart card issued by RGI under NPR, pension document with photo, and health insurance or service ID cards, among others.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar today received a surprise call from Mosotho Moepya, Chairperson of South Africa’s Electoral Commission, who extended best wishes for the conduct of the Bihar elections — one of the largest democratic exercises in the world with nearly 75 million eligible voters.

Moepya said that South African parliamentarians are planning to visit India soon to study the country’s electoral management system, often hailed as one of the most transparent and efficient globally.

It is worth noting here that an average voter turnout of 27.65 per cent was recorded till 11 a.m. on Thursday across 18 districts, where polling is underway for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly polls, according to the Chief Electoral Officer.

While Begusarai (30.37 per cent), Lakhisarai (30.32 per cent), Saharsa (29.68 per cent), and Muzaffarpur (29.66 per cent) witnessed comparatively higher participation, several other districts also reported moderate to encouraging polling figures by mid-morning.

Patna district saw the lowest turnout so far, with 23.71 per cent. In Madhepura, 28.46 per cent of registered voters had cast their votes by 11 a.m., while Darbhanga reported a turnout of 26.07 per cent.

The ECI has designated 320 model booths, 926 women-managed stations, and 107 managed by persons with disabilities.

Tight security arrangements are in place to ensure smooth polling. Over 15 battalions of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed across the 18 districts, with special attention to sensitive and Naxal-affected areas where voting will conclude an hour earlier, at 5 p.m. Mock polling exercises were conducted early in the morning to verify systems before the start of voting.

–IANS

sas/dpb