Patna, November 11 (IANS) Voting for the second phase of the Bihar Assembly election begins at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and will continue till 6 p.m.

In Naxal-affected areas, the polling time will end at 5 pm.

A total of 1,302 candidates are in the fray — 1,165 men, 136 women, and one third-gender candidate.

The main contest is between NDA vs Mahagathbandhan, though AIMIM and Jan Suraj are posing challenges in some pockets.

In this phase, polling is being held in 122 constituencies — 101 general, 19 SC reserved, and 2 ST reserved seats.

According to the Election Commission, 3,70,13,556 electors are eligible to vote in this round.

This includes 10,21,812 new voters added to the rolls.

Among them 1, 95,56,899 electors are enrolled in the voter list are male, including 5,28,954 new male electors included in the roll after SIR.

Similarly, a total of 1,70,68,572 female voters are in the list, including 4,92,839 newly added in the list.

The third gender voters are 943, including 90 newly added in the list.

A total of 7,69,356 electors are in the 18–19 age group — these will be first-time voters in an Assembly election.

For phase-2, the ECI has set up 45,399 polling stations — 5,326 urban and 40,073 rural.

These include 595 women-managed booths, 91 PwD-managed booths, and 316 model stations.

Webcasting has been arranged at all polling stations.

The average electors per booth are 815.

Phase-2 polling covers 20 districts — including West Champaran, East Champaran, Supaul, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj, Katihar, Banka, Bhagalpur, Nawada, Jamui, Aurangabad, Gaya, Rohtas, Kaimur, Jehanabad and Arwal.

Bihar police have made all security arrangements for the polling.

Special security measures have been put in place in seven districts, including West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Madhubani, Araria, and Kishanganj along the Indo–Nepal border, while surveillance has also been intensified along the borders with Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

The international borders have been completely sealed, while inter-state borders have also closed since Sunday evening to prevent infiltration and movement of external elements.

As per the directives of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 1,650 companies of central security forces have been deployed across the state to ensure peaceful and fair polling.

The security agencies are using drones and CCTV cameras for surveillance, and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have also been deployed for immediate action in emergency situations.

–IANS

ajk/rs