After three people were killed in violence related to the ongoing panchayat polls in Bihar on Friday night, the state government has beefed up security arrangements for the second phase of the polls being held on Sunday.
Anticipating spells of violence in the polls in 897 panchayats, many of them in Maoist areas, the government made an additional deployment of 27 DSPs on poll duty and brought in a battalion of the Jharkhand Armed Police to supplement the state police and paramilitary forces. Bihar DGP Neelmani warned miscreants would be shot at if they hinder the process. The state election department said polls would not be nullified in any booth if miscreants pour ink in the ballot boxes.
Polls in the second phase are being held for 27,905 posts in the three-tier panchayat system with 94,776 candidates in the fray. The number of eligible voters for this phase is 52,87,072.